A DESCENDANT of poet William Wordsworth has urged the public to voice their concerns about controversial proposals to build a series of 47m high pylons in the Duddon Estuary.

National Grid is consulting on plans to spend £2.8bn to link the proposed new nuclear plant at Moorside near Sellafield in west Cumbria to the power station at Heysham.

Earlier this year the utility giant climbed down on proposals to build pylons within the Lake District National Park amid a storm of opposition.

But it still wants to create the pylons on a 3.5km stretch in the Whicham Valley - where they will be within ten metres of the park's south-western boundary - as part of its 102 mile North West Coast Connections project.

Christopher Wordsworth, the great-great-great-great-grandson of the English Romantic poet, said: “William Wordsworth was enthralled by the unique beauty of the Duddon, which inspired his famous series of sonnets. As much as the works of my ancestor are an important part of our literary heritage, his ‘long-loved Duddon’ is an important part of our natural heritage.

"We owe it to his memory to preserve its beauty for future generations to enjoy.”

Landscape charity Friends of the Lake District and campaign group Power Without Pylons want National Grid to adopt an alternative solution which would remove the need to take the power cables up the valley and around the estuary.

The line of pylons will also run right across the top of the Duddon Estuary interrupting stunning views into and out of the high fells of the Lake District, scarring a cherished landscape steeped in history, said campaigners.

Dr Kate Willshaw, policy officer at Friends of the Lake District, said: “We need as many people as possible to tell National Grid that putting pylons just metres outside of the National Park’s south-western boundary will cause unacceptable damage, destroying the special qualities of the National Park and interrupting people's enjoyment of our beautiful landscape renowned throughout the world."

Graham Barron, secretary of Power Without Pylons, said: “Protecting this important area is not just a local issue but a national issue. Over 40 million people visit Cumbria each year to enjoy these special landscapes: they don’t want them scarred by lumps of metal and unsightly overhead wires.

"There are feasible alternatives to pylons which we have campaigned for from the outset. If enough people state their objections to giant pylons in writing we believe the wall of opposition will force National Grid to reconsider.”

Visit www.northwestcoastconnections.com to find out more and to submit comments to the consultation.