Rachael Hamilton

DEPUTY LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVES

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HERE'S nothing new in people complaining about the impact of pylons on the landscape — it's almost 100 years since Stephen Spender wrote a poem about it that used to be a staple of the school curriculum.

What's new is the proliferation of mega-pylons, and the arrogant stance of governments both Labour and the SNP - that local people should be ignored if they object to the landscape being desecrated.

The same dismissive attitude goes for concerns about other intrusive energy infrastructure projects, such as massive wind or solar farms and battery storage plants.

There is fierce local opposition to the huge expansion of these projects, which will have a particularly devastating effect on my constituents in the Borders, as well as elsewhere in rural Scotland.