THE National Grid is replacing its high voltage overhead power lines which cut through Barnsley for the first time in more than 50 years.

It is the first time the 45km long line has had its wires replaced since the pylons went up in 1967. The line passes Shafton, Carlton, Athersley North, Staincross, Barugh Green, Silkstone, Springvale and much of the countryside between.

Barugh Green resident Rae Jenkinson has been intrigued watching the men working about 150ft above him on the pylon at the bottom of his garden, and photographed them performing a ‘high wire act’ this week.

“I used to be a crane driver at David Brown in Penistone,” said Mr Jenkinson, 77, of Barugh Lane. “I’m used to heights, or I used to be anyway, but it’s a bit high for me.

“They were telling me, it’s live on one side while they’re working on the other. When its raining you can hear the wires crackling.

“I admire them for working up there like that.”

A National Grid spokesman confirmed the wires - which carry 400,000 volts of electricity - have never been replaced before. The wires are made of an All Aluminium Alloy Conductor (AAAC) called Araucaria.

“Local residents and businesses’ electricity supply will not be affected by the work,” said the spokesman.

“Outages are carefully planned to ensure that the electricity supply is not affected.

“Our work began in January 2018 and is due to be completed by autumn 2018. Work to each section of line (ie between each pylon) will take between four to eight weeks, depending on the access requirements.

“We’ve been working on the development of this project for several years in order to ensure that we are as effective as possible, and cause as little disruption as possible to the local area.”