132,000 volt overhead line owned by Western Power Distribution overall the countryside would gain with approximately 90 fewer pylons.

But it was the ‘real cost’ to fauna and flora including bats, birds, otters and the animals at Noah’s Ark zoo farm, the disturbance to peat bogs and listed buildings some of which date back to the Doomsday Book and the fears of ’cancer cluster’ health risks which dominated the arguments against overhead pylons which was voiced at Nailsea.

Stewart Plant, of Tickenham Court Farm, talked of his concern for the remains on his land of a Roman villa which dates back to 100AD and how a plough had hit underground water pipes which resurfaced and exposed the peat causing it to ‘shrink’.

Peat exposed to the air decomposes and turns into carbon dioxide.

He said: “We have a huge interest in keeping peat wet because if CO2 levels rise we won’t be here.”Nailsea Against Pylons chairman Fiona Erleigh criticised the ‘misleading’ information supplied by National Grid and its attempt to divide the community by initially proposing a choice of pylons one side of town or the other.

She predicted delays as neither the finance nor the legally of building Hinkley C has been established which would give time to look at alternative technologies.

Austria – a non nuclear country - is launching a legal challenge against the European Union decision to approve a £17.6 billion subsidy between the UK government and French state-owned EDF, the hearing heard.

Mrs Erleigh added: “Campaigners feel North Somerset is getting a raw deal having overhead lines imposed on our beautiful countryside, when cables are being laid undersea and underground in tunnels elsewhere in and around the UK. 

“We all know there is a better solution in the 21st century than giant pylons marching across our countryside. 

“So let's not rush into doing the wrong thing when costs of alternatives are rapidly converging with overhead lines. 

“The will of the people and of government are aligning to doing the right thing, let’s do it!”

Nailsea Town Council chairman Clare Hunt asked why National Grid was using an outdated method of transmitting electricity when a second generation of gas-insulated lines (GIL) for high power transmission was available.

She said this was the best environmentally-friendly option.

Support by Nailsea people and Wraxall & Failand parish councillor Hugh Pratt the panel was told GIL is a viable alternative which can be laid above ground, installed in smaller tunnels or buried directly in the soil.

Chartered engineer Chris Ambrose and Dr Pratt had already submitted a supporting paper for Wraxall & Failand Parish Council outlining the alternative they believe would add £7 per year to domestic electricity bill to underground all new transmission lines.

Mrs Hunt added: “This land may not be judged as an area of outstanding beauty worthy of protection, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to us it's nearly as good as it gets.

“Now our landscape may be the only one ever to have these structures, still a massive 10 metres higher than traditional pylons and carrying extremely high voltage electricity.

“If their transmission failed because of weather, disaster or a deliberate act it would bring the infrastructure of this area to a halt very rapidly with disastrous results.”

“Of course the removal of the 132,000 volt lines will offer some relief to Nailsea residents but is it more acceptable to place a blot elsewhere?”

And although the health factor was difficult to prove she had anecdotal evidence of Nailsea farm animals put out to graze in a field beneath the existing pylons all contracting cancer.

Dr Pratt told the hearing he is the UK’s principal expert on the effects of electrical currents on humans and he challenged what advice the panel had been given.

He said: “Overhead lines which intrude on the openness of countryside are unacceptable and I recommend National Grid resubmit proposals to underground.”

Environmentalist Tony Moulin said: “Wetlands are the biggest threatened landscapes in the world – we know what we are talking about but no one is listening and a biodiversity strategy is needed.”

Cadbury Camp Lane resident John Miles and his neighbour Alistair Cole talked of their rural ‘no through’ road being ‘sandwiched’ between 132K voltage cables going underneath homes and 400K voltage cables overhead.

Mr Cole whose home would be ‘worthless’ said his family had lived with ‘catastrophic’ stress in the decade since the pylon plan was revealed.

Mr Ambrose slammed the ‘sham consultation’ process which initially included a ‘dummy route’ to divide residents.

He added: “Since 2009 to date, despite the public opposition to overhead lines, National Grid has remained fixed in 19th century thinking with their predetermined position for overhead lines.”

A National Grid spokesman said they would  respond to all issues raised at the Nailsea ‘open floor hearing’ but that ‘ultimately the government will decide’ whether the connection project goes ahead.

And what everyone agreed was there would be no decisions on anything until after a general election.