MP vows to keep fighting to stop pylons in Lake District National Park

South Lakes MP Tim Farron is continuing his campaign to stop electric pylons being built through the Lake District National Park as part of the National Grid's "North West Coast Connections Project".

National Grid announced yesterday that they want to follow an option that would see pylons running north from Sellafield on land, and south either on land or across Morecambe Bay. Tim is calling on the company to take the Morecambe Bay option, rather than damaging precious landscape along the southern border of the national park.

National Grid began consultations on these plans earlier this year, looking at six broad 'strategic options' and is now taking forward two proposals. Their next next step will be to assess these two options to identify potential corridors where new infrastructure could be routed.

The two 'preferred' routes according to National Grid are mixture of onland and out to sea routes. Onshore routes to the north of Sellafield where there is the potential to follow the path of existing low voltage power lines which are operated by Electricity North West. To the south of Sellafield, National Grid will also consider routes where there is potential to follow the path of existing power lines in addition to studying possible routes offshore through the Irish Sea and across Morecambe Bay.

Tim said: "If we see large amounts of new cabling and pylons being built across the countryside, it would be a damaging blow to our world class landscape. However, if National Grid chooses to take the cables under Morecambe Bay, as I have consistently argued, then for not much extra expense they will ensure protection for our landscape and the surrounding environment."