Hollywood actor Ralph Fiennes speaks out against East Anglia pylon plans

Hollywood star Ralph Fiennes is starring in a new short film, opposing plans to build a new a series of pylons, which would stretch from Norwich to Tilbury, via a substation in Ipswich.

The Harry Potter actor, who was born in Ipswich, instead wants to see the bulk of the project built offshore.

The film was released yesterday, in partnership with the Suffolk Energy Action Solutions group (SEAS), which launched a new petition against National Grid's plans alongside it.

What does National Grid say?

National Grid says the project is essential, with the extra capacity going to support new windfarms and the Sizewell C nuclear reactor.

Controversial plans

This is not the first time the plans have attracted concerns.

They've continuously faced massive opposition from locals, campaigners and politicians - who've expressed concerns about the environmental impact, and the placement of the pylons in areas of natural beauty.

They've instead urged the company to consider moving the cables offshore.

Back in December, the Government also agreed to fund a study into the possibility of using off-shore cabling as an alternative method of connecting windfarms.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.