Dunstable Yesteryear - Spectacular work on the power lines

The colour photo shows workers in a cable car travelling along the grid line near the Sainsbury car park. They’ve been doing this between all the 100 pylons from Elstree, near Watford, and Chalton, near Luton, to upgrade the power-carrying capacity of the line.

Road closures while the work took place caused considerable delays to drivers in the Luton Road area, with shoppers leaving Sainsbury’s being particularly affected.

The giant pylons were erected by the daring workmen seen in our other photo, taken by the Dunstable Gazette in 1955 at the highest point of Blow’s Downs, with some of the town’s houses in the background.. There had been vigorous objections in Dunstable to the proposals to erect the pylons on the hills. A public meeting was held where locals voiced concerns about the effect on the environment and possible interference with television reception. But the extra electricity was urgently needed to allow expansion of the Vauxhall and Commer Cars truck factories in Boscombe Road.

Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.