TORY leader William Hague is to be urged to support an Early Day Motion in the Commons, which would lead to more stringent controls on power lines across the UK.

Bedford MP Patrick Hall wants Westminster to grant the electricity regulator the authority to monitor the effect high-voltage lines have on the lives of people who live near them, and to set targets which would see that reduced.

The town's Brickhill Urban Community Council has also taken up the issue, writing to all local authorities in England, urging them to press their MPs to support the move as well.

Richmondshire District Council voted to back the campaign without debate, at a meeting on Tuesday night, and a letter will be sent to Mr Hague's office.

The decision follows the publication of a report on Tuesday, which recognised a higher incidence of leukaemia among children in homes near power lines. The National Radiological Protection Board stopped short of confirming a link.

However, the research could be enough to prompt a rush of compensation claims, similar to cases defeated in the courts a couple of years ago.

Among them will be North Yorkshire woman Janette Smith, who lost her brother and mother to cancer.

Their family home is just yards from an electricity pylon at Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton.