National Grid bosses have been put on the spot over plans for miles of pylons across Norfolk, with a warning it will lead to the "annihilation of the countryside".
The energy company wants to build a 110-mile line of 50m-high pylons from Dunston, just south of Norwich, down to the Thames Estuary.
But the East Anglia GREEN proposals have sparked opposition from communities in Norfolk who say the pylons will be intrusive.
It prompted Norfolk County Council's scrutiny committee to ask National Grid representatives to answer questions about the controversial plans.
Barry Duffin, Conservative county councillor for West Depwade - which comprises villages including Tacolneston, Tibenham and Burston - said his division would be "dissected" by the pylons and he had "an awful lot of angry parishioners".
He said: "We are going to have a huge human cost for all these people affected.
"Not only will they be near people's own properties, but I have got Grade I listed churches in my division.
"These pylons are higher than some of those and, to me, that is just an annihilation of the countryside."
National Grid said the pylons are needed to conduct increasing amounts of electricity from wind power generated off the Norfolk coast, down to London and the rest of the country.
Keith Kiddie, Conservative councillor for Diss and Roydon, said Diss would be surrounded by pylons on both sides.
He said: "I appreciate the technical issues, but at the moment, we have got a 2022 problem and you have a 1950s technology to get around it."
Steve Morphew, Labour group leader and scrutiny committee chairman asked why it had to be pylons and not an alternative, such as running power offshore around the coast or burying them underground offshore.
Simon Pepper, senior project manager for National Grid, said it was "agnostic" when it came to what technology was used, but offshore or underground alternatives would cost billions of pounds more.
He said: "It comes back to affordability and value for money of it all."
Brian Watkins, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "Views are going to be spoiled, countryside is going to be ruined, tourism is going to be affected and wildlife is going to be imperilled."
Further public consultation on the proposals is due next April.
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