New bid to halt Shropshire and Mid Wales pylons plan after Clegg comments

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies said it would be "outrageous" for the company to ignore the views of Nick Clegg, who has supported a claim that pylons should not be allowed to "destroy the countryside".

Mr Davies said: "Today I will be writing to the chairman of National Grid and will be saying they have taken no notice of the people of Montgomeryshire, no notice of me, will they really take no notice of the Deputy Prime Minister?

"I want to challenge the chairman of National Grid to suspend the project until such time that it is required, and secondly to give a commitment to putting it all underground."

It comes after Mr Clegg backed calls to protect the countryside in an interview with the Shropshire Star, saying that pylons were not in keeping with the "fabulous countryside".

The Mid Wales Connection Project has been put forward by National Grid to connect a number of proposed windfarms in Powys, comprising 33 miles of electricity cables stretching from Cefn Coch in Powys to Lower Frankton in Shropshire.

As a concession to campaigners the company has agreed to bury eight miles of cables through the Vyrnwy Valley.

Mr Davies said: "The Deputy Prime Minister has come to this part of the country and has made a clear statement and I hope to raise it in Parliament."

During a visit to Montgomeryshire, Mr Clegg voiced his support for the views of Jane Dodds, the Lib Dems' prospective parliamentary candidate.

He said: "Jane has been very forceful in saying about the importance she attaches to undergrounding of power lines and cables, which can be such an eyesore."

Mr Clegg also said that pylons were not in keeping with the "fabulous countryside".