Frustration after National Grid 'bulldozes' crops

Farmer Richard Langton says although he gave permission for National Grid to carry out work on the site, there were conditions

A farmer has spoken of his frustration after National Grid dug up a field two days before a barley crop was due to be harvested.

Richard Langton, of Langton Farms in Little Wenham, Suffolk, said he made an agreement with National Grid so they could work on his land with 48 hours' notice - and after the harvest.

Seven of his fields are likely to be disrupted by the Tilbury to Norwich pylon scheme, causing the fields to become "devalued", he said.

A spokesperson for National Grid said the agreement was "not communicated to the survey team" and it would compensate for any crops lost.

National Grid wants to install a 114-mile (184km) power line of pylons stretching from south Norwich to Tilbury in Essex, to carry electricity generated from offshore windfarms.

Mr Langton, said: "It's so wet this winter... it's been a struggle to get a lot of crops to harvest this year.

"It's frustrating days before harvest that they start digging it up."

National Grid said it has apologised to the landowner

Mr Langton, 62, had given permission to the National Grid survey team - but with strict conditions.

"It's slightly arrogant on National Grid's thinking that they can just do what they want now... it feels like it's big companies bulldozing their way through the countryside," he said.

"I don't particularly want the pylons on my farm at all, I admit that, but who would?"

Richard Langton said it feels like large companies and corporations are "bulldozing their way through the countryside"

Georgina Langton-McColl, 34, works with her father on the farm and says the experience has been "very upsetting" and "distressing".

"My father and the team who work so hard all year round to prepare for the pinnacle in our year, to turn up and see it being destroyed, is pretty distressing."

She said that for many farmers there was "a lot riding" on the next few weeks.

"It's a very busy time of year for us, we don't really have the bandwidth to be trying to get through to National Grid and speak to them," she said.

"We've got other much bigger priorities like our livelihoods to go away and manage."

A spokesperson for National Grid said it was "committed" to working closely, fairly and consistently with farmers along the proposed pylon route.

"While we had an agreement in place with the landowner to carry out environmental surveys, they had asked us to wait until harvesting," they said.

"On this occasion this was not communicated to the survey team and a small section of their land was accessed.

"We have apologised to the landowner and will compensate for any loss of crop."