We won't rest until Tyne cables go underground

THE good news is that the power cables over the River Tyne are to be placed underground after a long campaign by myself and others in a firm alliance of those who understand its importance to our river and economy.

- Mary Glindon

My main contribution for nearly a decade has been politely badgering successive Prime Ministers to support this in Commons questions.

‘The clear message has finally been answered positively by Keir Starmer’s government.

The case I made to them and more recently to the minister is that getting rid of the overhead cables I see from my Wallsend office is that ships that are taller than the current cables can use our great river to take out equipment to build an offshore wind industry and service the oil and gas sector too.

Various companies, including Smulders, can then boost well-paid jobs and economic growth.

‘The victory over the cables will increase business confidence and give heart to the investment plans of such companies, which themselves take time to bring into life. It is estimated that undergrounding the cables will boost the economy by £2bn over the next forty years.