ELECTRIC cables blotting the landscape at the Mundy Playing Fields in Thornbury will become a thing of the past from next year.

The Gazette can reveal that, after four years of planning and debate on the part of network operators Western Power Distribution, the 11,000 volt power line at the fields will be buried in 2013 and the poles removed.

The cable and small pylons had been considered an eyesore by residents for decades but the move will above all improve safety on the football grounds.

Cllr Clive Parkinson, who chairs the town’s playing fields and cemetery committee, welcomed the news, stating that running the cables underground would enhance the landscape in that part of town.

"It’s a good thing to get rid of the overhead cables. It will benefit the town and the visual impact at the Mundy Playing Fields.

"And we all know what can happen with power lines during storms and snowfall so we are happy that the company is doing it. It’s safer. The poles have been there for decades."

The transformation will involve digging trenches across the fields and will create a lot of commotion, but will be for the best in the end, according to Cllr Parkinson.

The two substations currently halfway up the poles will be moved to the ground in the form of two small cabins.

Cllr Parkinson added: "It is unfortunate that the work will cause some interruptions and disruption but it will lessen the risk of disruption to the electricity supply."

The exact start date of construction has not been set but the town council said that it was most likely to begin in September next year.

Thornbury town clerk Judith Payne said: "Western Power have agreed not to do it before the carnival. I would imagine they would do it after the children went back to school in September.

"It will be good for the visual impact and will make it much safer than it was. You can’t fly a kite there at the moment for example."

The line is the second one to be taken down in Thornbury due to visual impact and run underground. Last year, a power cable was buried on Knapp Road following a campaign by a resident.

A Western Power spokesman said the cable would also be upgraded as part of the plans to increase the reliability of the electricity supply.

"Our main priority is the safety of the public and to minimise any risk wherever possible. It will be a safer area to be in once it is put underground."