Karen Nicholson, 56, currently lives in Chaucer Avenue with her husband John, 60.

Along with her three sisters and brother, she grew up in the street and left the family home in 1973.

However, the mother-of-two grown up children, returned five years ago to live there.

She said: "I moved back with my husband John, it's such a lovely area to live, despite the pylons."

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Recently Mrs Nicholson's older sister Cathleen Sheerian, 62, who now lives in Fellgate, underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Six years ago younger sister Particia Boschung, 54, who now lives in Switzerland, needed radiotherapy to remove a cancerous tumour from her nose.

In 2000, her mother Nancy Metcalfe, who moved away from the street 10 years previously, died suddenly with the children's form of leukaemia.

And in 1990 her eldest sister Geraldine White, 63, from Marsden, South Shields, had a stroke and was left with epilepsy.

Only Mrs Nicholson and her brother Jeoffrey, 52, who also lives in Fellgate, have had no problems with their health.

Mrs Nicholson said: "There wasn't much warning with our mum, she died very quickly. And although Geraldine never had cancer, I definitely think all the problems are related to the pylons and the years we spent
growing up just yards from them."

She added: "Some people may wonder why I moved back if I knew of the problems. But I thought to myself if the pylons are going to get me then they've already had plenty of time to do so."

Shaun Lawrance spent 10 days in a coma when he was a teenager and believes it's because of where he lives.

The 41-year-old, who has lived in the street all of his life with mum Lilian, 62, collapsed on his 17th birthday and fell into a coma. He had suffered a haemorrhaging of the brain.

He said: "There was never much explanation for it, one minute I was fine and the next minute I was in a coma.

"When I finally woke from the coma I had to learn how to do everything again, including walking and talking. I do believe it's because of the pylons."

Last summer Mr Lawrance's father Brian, 67, died after suffering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Mrs Lawrance said: "My mother lived in this street too and in 1968 she passed away after having a stroke, she was only 54."

"I wouldn't like to say for definite that the pylons cause all the illnesses here, but I'd never rule them out."