HUNDREDS of metres of overhead power lines and electricity poles are being removed around Dalefoot, near Bampton, at a cost of £325,000.

The work is being carried out by Electricity North West and by the time the current programme finishes in 2023 approximately 37 km of electricity power lines, costing more than £4 million, will have been under-grounded in the Lake District National Park.

The Dalefoot scheme will remove more than two kilometres of high voltage overhead line and approximately 200 metres of low voltage overhead line in the national park.

The work is funded by an under-grounding allowance from the regulator Ofgem, forming part of an eight year programme. The Lake District National Park Authority, assisted by Friends of the Lake District, identify which electricity lines intrude most on the landscapes of the park. The most feasible schemes are then submitted to Electricity North West to be incorporated into the under-grounding programme.

Amanda McCleery, Friends of the Lake District Overhead Wires Officer, said: “This may be a more remote part of the Lake District National Park but nonetheless the poles and wires can stand out against the skyline in this open landscape."

Chris Greenwood, on behalf of the Lake District National Park Authority, said: “The beautiful landscape across the Lake District is an important resource and we must do what we can to ensure that essential services, like the power network, are delivered in a way that doesn’t detract from our most sensitive landscapes."