Protest against wind turbine transport through Welshpool

Protestors have lined the streets of Welshpool in a bid to stop wind turbines being transported through the town.

Welshpool Town Council said plans to transport wind turbine blades and towers through Welshpool will have a detrimental affect.

It comes after a lorry towing tower sections with a police escort travelled through the main streets of Welshpool yesterday.

The Welsh Assembly Government said trial runs for the movement of special loads for windfarm construction would be running through Mid Wales, including Newtown, and across the border up until today.

Last year, a report warned that "significant disruption" could be caused by taking turbines by road.

Councillor Tony Harvey, from Welshpool, said the lorries had the potential to ruin the town.

He said: " What people don't realise is that these lorries are going to travel in threes and they could damage property and potentially put people off coming into the town because of increased congestion."

Council clerk Robert Robinson said: "They are running these trials with just one lorry when in reality three will have to travel together.

"They have already undertaken a trial for the blades and it took them 20 minutes juts to get one lorry from one end of Welshpool to the other. I dread to think what it's going to be like when we have more."

A report for Powys County Council by consultants Capita Symonds last year highlighted the logistical problems of transporting a new generation of larger and more powerful turbines to the uplands of mid Wales.

Welshpool Town Council is concerned the area's road network will to be unable to cope with the huge lorries

Earlier this year, Welshpool Town Council said it would consider sending six sheep with small wind turbines attached to them to London in a bid to prevent the wind turbine lorries travelling through the town.

It forms part of several protests planned by the council, giving residents chance to have their voices heard.Robert Robinson said it was now up to residents and town councillors to do everything in their power to stop any turbine transportation going through the town.

Another idea Mr Robinson had was to get as many cars to drive through the town centre at 5pm, with each vehicle having a small wind farm model on the roof to demonstrate the effect.

He said: "We find any transport of windfarm equipment going through our town centre is unacceptable because it will damage the fabric of the historic town centre."