Farms to get mains electricity after long campaign

Families living in one of the most remote parts of England could soon be connected to the National Grid after decades of campaigning.

The Upper Coquetdale area of Northumberland is home to a number of farming families who rely on diesel generators to power their homes.

The £2.6m project, funded by the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence, will connect 15 homes, as well as three telecommunication masts in the valley, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Independent councillor Steven Bridgett, who represents the area, praised the "hard work and tenacity" of local residents, who he said were "key" to making it happen.

"It now looks like we are on the cusp of not only having it installed in one of the most remote locations in England, but also 4G and gigabit-capable broadband which will transform the lives of these farming families," he added.

It is estimated there are more than 350 homes in Northumberland without mains electricity, and this project will only connect a small proportion of them.

They were missed out during the electrification programmes from the 1930s, usually because their remote location made it too expensive.

A request to secure mains electricity supply to three emergency phone masts was made by the Home Office in 2023, while the Ministry of Defence requested mains electricity connections to its off-grid tenanted farms.

Upper Coquet resident Katherine Singer said she hoped the others will not be forgotten.

“There are a lot of other places and individual homes that don’t have it and will probably never get it because of the cost," she added.

“From us, a massive thank you to everybody that has been involved."

Robert Mayhew from the Northumberland National Park authority said he was "delighted" with the news.

"We look forward to working closely with Northern Powergrid and the Ministry of Defence to ensure the visual impact of new powerlines are kept to a minimum within this unique sensitive landscape."

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