Residents bemused over 'celery stick' telegraph poles

Villagers have raised eyebrows at the arrival of green telegraph poles which have been compared to vegetables, according to a parish councillor.

UK Power Networks last week started replacing power connections around St Mary Hoo in Kent with the green poles.

"I started getting messages asking why there were sticks of celery going up by the roadside," said St Mary Hoo Parish Council leader Nick Craddy. "I wondered what they meant, and then I saw them."

The power company said the wooden poles were treated with an alternative preservative and that "customers will see more of them in future".

"The colour is likely to fade over time in sunlight," a spokesperson said.

Craddy said he received bemused comments from villagers as "they do stand out", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"I'd never thought about it before, but I've only ever known telegraph poles to be brown, so when they're suddenly not and they're a bright colour like that, it's a bit of a surprise," he added.

Craddy said the work did "need doing" as old power lines were "totally askew" and the area was getting "at least one power cut per week".

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