THE pylons may be going up across the Vale of York, but protesters are refusing to back down.

Work is well under way erecting the controversial overhead power line from Lackenby in Teesside to Shipton, near York. The metal towers are the first physical signs that National Grid has finally won its decade-long conflict with protest group Rural England Versus Overhead Line Transmission (Revolt).

But in a statement issued to the D&S Times this week, the anti-pylon group has vowed to fight on. The document accuses National Grid officers of misleading public inquiries into the need for the power line and lays out future methods of protest. This includes calling on the secretary of state to hold a review into the line next year.

When former secretary of state Margaret Beckett granted permission for the line in 1998, she attached a condition stating that a government review into the development could be held, a minimum of five years after consent was granted. This could take place any time after March next year.

Revolt chairman Mike O'Carroll said: "The Secretary has the power to review the line. It would be up to objectors or other parties to put their case.

"The Secretary of State would obviously want to see some change in the evidence from that which informed the original decision, but the picture is changing all the time, from energy policy and pattern of generation to the technology available.

"It is our firm view that, sooner or later, the whole thing will be found to be a big white elephant."

Prof O'Carroll said, in the meantime, Revolt was to review its long-term strategy. "This is certainly not the last throw of the dice," he said. "We will be continuing to act as whistle blowers on the ground, wherever transgressions continue to be made. We will also continue to monitor any fresh evidence about health effects, or changes in the technology.

"Ultimately we see this line coming down, but realistically we can see a lot of resistance from National Grid and the government to doing a U-turn."

A spokesman for National Grid said work on the line was going well, with 60 out of 216 towers already up and the foundations laid for 20 more. The line is expected to be finished by late 2003.

He rebutted Revolt's claims that National Grid had misled any public inquiries. "This is one of the most closely examined decisions for the development of a transmission line in the recent history of the electricity industry," he said.

"It went through the full democratic process of two public inquiries, at which all of National Grid's evidence was painstakingly examined. The judgment made was that the advantages that the line brings outweighed the disadvantages, therefore two governments made the decision to go ahead with it.