NATIONAL Grid was urged today to "do the decent thing" and waive its claim for massive costs from widow Rosalind Craven.

Mike O'Carroll, chairman of the anti-pylons campaign group Revolt, spoke out after Mrs Craven lost her High Court battle to stop the company building three pylons on her land at Huby, near Easingwold.

She will not have to pay the full £65,000 costs applied for by National Grid, but the bill - to be determined by a district judge - could still run into tens of thousands of pounds.

The widow, who is considering going to the Court of Appeal, has warned that the costs could ruin her, forcing her to sell up the family home, Home Farm.

Professor O'Carroll said he admired her courage in standing up to the giant corporation and said: "Now NG has the outcome it sought, I challenge it to do the decent thing and waive the claim for costs against Rosalind Craven."

He claimed the National Grid would benefit from having gone through a test case in a grey area about access rights.

He also claimed some of the costs sought by the company appeared to be highly inflated, including one for more than £5,500 for the video surveillance of a National Grid confrontation with Mrs Craven at her farm gate. He said it seemed to him a very inadequate and often inaudible "home movie" quality recording.

He said Mrs Craven had already suffered the cost of a huge amount of time and anxiety, and waiving the bill would be an opportunity for National Grid to make a step towards repairing its damaged reputation.

A National Grid spokesman said today that the company did not wish to cause any distress or financial hardship to Mrs Craven.

"Following the court decision, we have already indicated that we would like to meet Mrs Craven and discuss costs as well as compensation for the new line and the arrangements for construction."

Meanwhile, Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh says she has consistently insisted to the National Grid that it must agree access and negotiate a proper wayleave before entering private land and property.

"My thoughts are with Mrs Craven at this time, who is left with a large legal bill and property which will have been blighted by the pylons," she said.

Updated: 11:20 Thursday, December 12, 2002