A 99-FOOT pylon which has dominated a community landscape for more than 40 years has been taken down this week.

Many residents of Northside in Workington have lived in the shadow of the electricity pylon most of their lives and while some were glad it was coming down, the major concern this week has been the fate of the thousands of starlings that called it home.

Gary Dixon is chairman of the Northside Community Centre and has lived under the pylon for all of his 43 years.

“People have been talking about it at the centre but, really, the main topic has been the starlings. Each summer thousands of them gather on that pylon. I can tell you,that although they made a spectacular site, the people with nice new cars won’t miss them.”

Mr Dixon said the pylon was always “just there”.

“I am not even sure you missed it until was gone. Now, as I drive home, I suddenly realise it is not there.”

He said since underground cables were laid the pylon has been obsolete and has not been generating electricity.

“As a child I got my ears clipped a time or two for trying to climb it," he admitted.

"I shouldn’t admit that publicly because it would have been trespass. I did once get almost three quarters of the way up it.

“Apart from the odd climbing challenge, we didn’t really bother with it as kids,” he said and added that he and his wife Beth, a Workington councillor, have found that their own children, Josh, 12, and Amy-May, nine, have no interest in it.

He said the area around the pylon still looks a mess.

There are still parts of it in the ground.

But he believes it will improve the community when it is cleaned up and landscaped.

He said while he had no problem living under the pylon he felt that its removal would be good for Northside.

“Some people have concerns about it. Not everyone wants to buy a house next to a huge electricity pylons," he added.

“I do think its removal will have a good effect on house prices which will be good for Northside.

"And I am sure the starlings will also find another suitable home."