THE campaign against a line of pylons across the Vale of York reaches a pivotal moment this week.

The campaign group Revolt holds its annual general meeting on Friday night, just three days after the pylons controversy burst back into the headlines with widow Rosalind Craven's defiant stand against the National Grid.

She refused the company's workers access to her land at Home Farm, Huby, yesterday and is now facing High Court action.

The turn-out at this Friday's meeting at Thirsk Town Hall will be a key indicator of whether people across the Vale are prepared to continue the pylons battle after a decade of campaigning, says Revolt chairman Professor Mike O'Carroll.

He said that with pylons now going up all along the route from Teesside to Shipton-by-Beningbrough, on the outskirts of York, Revolt had practically exhausted the available and legal means of stopping them, although Mrs Craven had raised some "very interesting" constitutional arguments which needed exploring.

"The public are left with a deep sense of grievance at the injustice and waste in proceeding with the line. Yet, for a time at least, we and the environment must bear it."

He claimed there were continuing concerns over intimidatory conduct and over access being gained to land without landowner's instructions. "In the light of the developing situation, the meeting will consider changes to Revolt's name and constitution."

Revolt stands for Rural England Versus Overhead Lines Transmission. But Prof O'Carroll said: "While the acronym Revolt is established, our concerns are not exclusively rural nor exclusively focused on England, so the meeting will be asked to consider variations like Reason and Evidence Versus Overhead Line Transmission."

He said it was proposed that Revolt's objective should now be to seek the removal of the line, to press for a co-ordinated UK energy distribution policy and to monitor developments related to power lines and liaise with similar organisations. It should also promote a precautionary policy on public health matters relating to power lines.

Updated: 08:35 Wednesday, September 25, 2002