Plans to cover a field in the south Norfolk countryside with large industrial batteries to store energy from wind farms have been given the green light by councillors.

The facility, which will be built on a 35-acre site in Swardeston, will be connected up to turbines in the North Sea.

It will store energy which can be fed in to the National Grid on calm days, when turbines are not turning.

At a South Norfolk Council meeting discussing the plans, locals raised concerns that the batteries were a fire risk. 

However, a representative from Ørsted - the company behind the Hornsea Three offshore wind farm - said: “It is not in anyone’s interest, least of all the applicants, for there to be an incident at this site.

“We have worked closely with the [Norfolk] fire and rescue service and have incorporated the measures that were raised through those discussions.” 

Councillors on Wednesday's development committee sided with the developer and unanimously approved the scheme. 

Praising the scheme, independent councillor Clayton Hudson said: “The race to decarbonise our economy and the long-term security of energy supply is paramount. 

“I will not be responsible for turning off the lights in south Norfolk or delaying the decarbonisation of our economy.”