A series of public drop-in sessions has been launched into major plans to upgrade the electricity network.

National Grid is inviting the public to comment on its proposals to connect the potential new nuclear power station at Moorside, near Sellafield, into the network.

Included in the proposals are a series of new high-voltage pylons to replace a number of those currently owned by Electricity North West (ENW). At 50m-high, they are almost double the height of the existing pylons. However, some of the existing ENW structure will be retained.

At a well-attended drop-in session held in Beckermet today (Wednesday), a host of local residents took the chance to view the detailed plans, including proposed locations of pylons, and to ask questions of Grid representatives.

Beckermet couple Peter and Elizabeth Booth said they were "quite happy" with the proposals. Mr Booth said: "We can see some existing pylons from our house, but the new ones are going to be further away."

Another Beckermet resident Dave Head questioned the need for new nuclear power, however, and the subsequent need for a new electricity network.

On the pylons themselves, Mr Head added: "I can see two from my window at the moment; one of them will go and the other will be higher but further away."

Broadly following the path of the ENW pylons, the £2.8billion proposed connection runs along the west coast of Cumbria between Carlisle and the Furness peninsula. Heading north from Moorside, the pylons would run up the coast to feed into an electricity substation at Harker, near Carlisle. In the opposite direction, they would be taken into Lancashire by following the coast south before travelling under Morecambe Bay to Heysham via a 13-mile £1.2billion tunnel.

Underground cables measuring 14.5 miles are proposed from Holmrook to Whicham, on the western section of the Lake District, replacing the existing overhead lines.

If it gets the go-ahead, work on the new connection could start in 2019.

Speaking at the Beckermet drop-in, Beth Motley, from the Grid's community relations department, said: "This is likely to be the final public consultation into the plans and all the feedback we receive will be taken into consideration in the planning application."

The 2pm to 8pm drop-in sessions continue at Seascale Methodist Church tomorrow and Distington Community Hall on Friday.