WORKMEN have finally moved on to widow Rosalind Craven's land to start building three controversial pylons.

Sub-contractors arrived at Home Farm, Huby, near Easingwold, yesterday, to conduct soil sampling preparatory work for a National Grid project which is expected to last several weeks.

They had unrestricted access to the waterlogged but frozen fields - in contrast to the balmy day in September when Mrs Craven, backed by supporters from the anti-pylons campaign group Revolt, blocked the contractors' way during a half-hour stand-off.

National Grid, which wants to construct the pylons as part of a project to build a new power line across the Vale of York from Teesside to Shipton by Beningbrough, won an injunction at the High Court last month preventing Mrs Craven from barring its way.

The victory followed a "David and Goliath" legal battle against the company waged by the 61-year-old, who represented herself in court during a two-day hearing. She is facing ruin after costs of tens of thousands of pounds were awarded against her.

Yesterday she stood and watched the workmen and said: "It's a bad day, isn't it? It's a bit sickening."

She believed that only the recent frosts had allowed the contractors to get on the land at all. "It was really waterlogged last week. It would have become a quagmire."

She also believed the company should have delayed coming on her land until the Court of Appeal had decided on an application for leave to appeal against the High Court's decision, which she lodged before Christmas.

"I do not think they are respecting the due process of the law," she said.

National Grid has said it was now entitled to enter the land, having won a High Court case during which the judge had refused leave to appeal.

A spokesman said it was seeking to cause as little disruption as possible. He said about 80 per cent of the pylons had now been built.

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Updated: 11:58 Wednesday, January 08, 2003