TORY leader William Hague has welcomed a new study into the possible effects on health of electricity pylons.

The Leader of the Opposition and North Yorkshire MP yesterday visited the site of new research into possible links between the high voltage lines and cancer, part of a long-running campaign against the proposed Lackenby to Shipton pylon line.

Professor Denis Henshaw is aiming to measure the number of pollutants in the air underneath an existing pylon, at a farm at Thimbleby, near Northallerton.

The study follows research already conducted by Prof Henshaw, which claimed to show that ions emitted by power lines attached themselves to pollutants and made it more likely that they would be absorbed by the body.

Mr Hague, whose Richmond constituency includes the Thimbleby site, said the concerns over a possible health risk added weight to opposition to the pylon line.

He said: "I have strongly argued against the line on environmental grounds and there is also this unproved health issue.

"We should encourage further research. People are extremely worried and it should be looked at before we construct additional power lines across the country."

Prof Henshaw said the new monitoring site would measure the number of electrically charged pollutants to quantify the increased exposure caused by living near power lines. He said: "We have demonstrated the existence of the problem near power lines and we're now moving into monitoring the size of the effect."

The monitoring site was established after Northallerton National Farmer Union secretary Peter Edmonds identified eight cases of cancer of leukaemia among farming families living near pylons in the Northallerton area.