Carluke and Lanark motorists face more road misery

It is only a few months since ScottishPower completed the laying of cables along part of the A73, disrupting the pre-Christmas shopping travel by limiting parts of the road to lights-controlled one-way traffic.

Now, to their horror, local traders have learned that far more extensive works are planned for later this year, running a cable from the Blacklaw Windfarm extension near Climpy fourteen and a half kilometres to the National Grid link at Linn Mill at Kirkfieldbank.

Some are outraged that ScottishPower is using this long rural route – taking up most of the A73 between the outskirts of Carluke and Lanark – rather than a far shorter, five kilometre route to a link station near Wishaw.

Although ScottishPower cites technical reasons for this, the Gazette has heard claims that, thanks to its sparser population, the company felt there would be less public outcry from Clydesdale folk to the cabling works.

For more on this story pick up a copy of the Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.