Peak District National Park: Last pylon toppled to improve views

The last remaining electricity pylon to have dominated the skyline in a South Yorkshire village has been toppled in an effort to improve people's views.

Seven pylons and 1.5km (0.9 miles) of electricity lines have been removed at Dunford Bridge in Barnsley.

It is part of a £500m project to transform the landscape in the east of the Peak District National Park.

Environmentalist Chris Bains said the scheme had restored the valley to the "beautiful" place it once was.

The area was chosen from a list of 100 sites after a survey found it was deemed one of the most impacted landscapes.

The removal of the pylons has enhanced the landscape and views in Dunford Bridge and is intended to improve the enjoyment of locals and visitors to the park.

The project has involved major engineering works to bury the high voltage cables underground.

Some 70 tonnes of steel from the last remaining pylon will now be recycled.

The project has involved feedback from the local community as well as a number of bodies, including Barnsley Council, the Peak District National Park Authority and Dunford Parish Council.

Mr Bains, environmental adviser to the National Grid, said: "It is transformational. Anyone who knew this valley up until the last couple of weeks would know it as a place where you just couldn't escape the overhead wires and the pylons.

"They've gone. It's really now just the beautiful valley that it always was."

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