The eerie buzz of electricity resonating through the row of houses in Biddick Hall, South Shields, has fuelled speculation about the number of cancer-related cases and bouts of illness which have emerged over the years.



So high is the number of people in the street battling cancer, or who have already lost their fight, that residents believe it's no longer just coincidence.

Many are convinced the pylons, looming directly above one side of the street, are to blame, and are now demanding a comprehensive investigation into what they have branded "Death Road".

Chaucer Avenue 'pylon cancer' fears - SPECIAL REPORT
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One woman at the forefront of the fight is Karen Nicholson, 56, secretary of the Biddick Hall Residents' Association.

She says she's been battling for years to highlight her street's health concerns after three members of her own family suffered cancer.

She said: "Many of us think the pylons, and the wires, are to blame, it seems strange so many living here have had encounters with cancer and have lost loved ones.

"As a youngster I played right underneath one of the pylons, and when I look back, I don't have a single friend left from my childhood, they're all dead."

Chaucer Avenue was originally built after the Second World War with pre-fabricated houses, these were then pulled down in the late 1980s and replaced with approximately 84 more modern buildings, the majority of which are now owned by South Tyneside Homes. But the two pylons erected in 1958 remained.

The Gazette first reported on the street's concerns in 2001, when former resident of 20 years Dawn Erickson, told how she lost her
mother, brother and sister to cancer.

But we can now reveal that in the last 20 years at least 14 people in the street have died from various forms of cancer, more than 20 have battled, or are currently receiving treatment for the condition, and a number of residents have had strokes and experienced painful headaches.
In 2007 the Sage Report was issued by National Grid to advise the Government on electric magnetic fields (EMFs) coming from overhead power lines.

In it, experts concluded: "There is no doubt that EMFs can have effects on the body if the fields are high enough. Specifically, external EMFs induce internal electric fields in the body's tissue, which can interfere with the action of nerves."

However, many experts feel there is still not enough evidence to prove that cancer can be attributed to pylons.

Anthea Martin, Cancer Research UK's science information officer, said: "The current evidence to link power lines to cancers is not very strong. Some studies have found an association between the highest levels of electromagnetic fields produced by power lines and increased risk of childhood leukaemia, but it is rare for UK homes to experience EMF levels that high."

Two years ago a number of residents came together and presented their concerns to the West Shields community area forum, but claim nothing ever happened.

Mrs Nicholson said: "We received a sheet of paper on guidelines, something we could have just printed off from the Internet.

"All the professionals say there's not enough research, but even if there, was I doubt the Government would ever do anything."

Along with a number of other residents in the street, Mrs Nicholson would like to see the pylons removed, but says she's doubtful that will ever happen.

A spokesman from National Grid said: "After almost 30 years of research, and hundreds of millions of pounds spent on research, the balance of evidence is against a link between electric and magnetic fields and ill health.

"The worldwide consensus tells us there is one area, childhood leukaemia, where the evidence amounts to a possibility of a health risk. That is being investigated further, but it is just a possibility."

Dr Michael Clark, a science spokesman for the Health Protection Agency, agreed with National Grid's findings.

He said: "Some studies have shown a possible link with a small risk of childhood leukaemia, but there is no agreed scientific evidence of a linking proximity to power lines with other cancers or diseases in adults.

"SAGE published its first interim assessment last year, but there is no overall agreement yet on what is the best strategy."

However, Dr Clark did say that the prospect of living so close to pylons could be 'genuinely frightening' for some people.

Also echoing similar views is a retired GP from South Tyneside, Dr Bashir Malik.

He said: "I am apprehensive because you can't say for certain and prove it. But just because you can't confirm a connection, doesn't mean worries can be erased.

"If residents are aware of this issue, and talk about it frequently, then this can be detrimental to their health and cause stress."

Mrs Nicholson is now calling for an expert to come to the street and measure the level of EMFs in the homes.

She added: "Someone must be able to come and help us out.

"Maybe they won't be able to prove anything either way, but it would be good to know if we had abnormal levels of EMFs."

Can you help the residents of Chaucer Avenue? Contact the Gazette on 427 4861.