Ed Miliband’s plan to erect thousands of pylons across Britain has been slammed after it was revealed that burying electricity cables can be cheaper.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband’s pylon plan has been slammed. (Image: Getty)

The Labour Party Government has ruled out burying the cables as they claim it’s more expensive than erecting pylons with overhead lines.

But a report into the East Anglia Network – where a large-scale pylon roll-out from Norwich to Tilbury is planned – has revealed burying cables is actually cheaper over the longer term.

Now, the Energy Secretary has been blasted for being “ideologically committed to pylons” with a “dogmatic” pylon agenda, reports The Telegraph.

James Cartlidge, a Tory MP for South Suffolk whose constituents are opposing the pylon roll-out in their area, accused Mr Miliband of being “ideologically committed to pylons even if the data says there are other options”.

He has written to the Energy Secretary to highlight the report’s findings and claimed Mr Miliband has a “dogmatic” adherence to the 2030 clean power target that was leading him to shelve other options.

Mr Cartlidge: “The report shows that you can wait until 2034 and still have what is a very competitively priced option [of underground cables] that doesn’t lead to permanent damage to the countryside.

“It gives you the basis of what a grid could look like elsewhere in the country – this is how to avoid pitchfork battles with rural communities.”

Labour’s goal to achieve clean power by 2030 is five years before the target set by the previous government. It will require doubling the amount of onshore wind as well as introducing hundreds of miles of new cables and pylons.

The East Anglia network report revealed that using a 2034 timeframe, an underground cable system would come in £600 million cheaper than using pylons.

The Norwich to Tilbury development would see 520 pylons, each 164 feet tall, supporting a new high-voltage electricity transmission line and would carry electricity generated by offshore wind farms through the Waveney Valley towards London.

It’s a plan that local residents are furious about. The leaders of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk county councils have all called on National Grid for a rethink.

Express.co.uk has approached the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for a comment.

A spokesperson for the department told The Telegraph: “Underground cabling is more expensive and costs are borne by the electricity bill payer.

“Securing Britain’s clean energy future will require improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way to get renewable electricity on the grid. Without this infrastructure, we will never deliver clean power for the British people.

“It is important we take people with us and are considering ways to ensure communities who live near clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.”