Council opposes 'bonkers' water meter pole plan

Plans to install hundreds of telegraph poles to monitor water meters are unacceptable, councillors have agreed.

Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW) said it needed to put up the poles in parts of Norfolk because the current network coverage was not good enough for new smart meters to connect to.

A total of 157 of the poles would go in Great Yarmouth, but county councillors voted to oppose the plan, with Conservative Jane James calling it "bonkers".

She said the council had offered the use of its own data network for the project, but that was turned down by the company.

The firm has been rolling out new smart meters which are capable of providing automatic readings and detecting leaks.

It said its poles would be under 15m (49ft) in height and every step had been "taken to minimise the number and visual impact".

Putting forward a motion against the plan, James – the councillor responsible for innovation - said she had asked the firm to consider using the authority's own data network which was already in place.

The company had reached a similar agreement in Southend-on-Sea, but rejected the offer in Norfolk, she said.

"My plea is to these organisations, stop what you're doing and take a common sense approach to this matter," she told a meeting of the full council.

"If you can do it elsewhere, why not here in Norfolk">Anglian Water is replacing its current facility near Milton with a new plant close to Horningsea.