British gas pipeline gets go-ahead

The second phase of a gas pipeline connecting an import terminal to the UK's transmission system was given the go-ahead by the British government today.

The 196km (122.5 miles) long pipeline will run from Felindre near Swansea in South Wales to Tirley in Gloucestershire.

The government said it was placing “stringent” environmental conditions on the consent given to the National Grid following concerns about the potential impact of the project on the Brecon Beacons.

The first phase of the project has been hit by environmental protestors, who chained themselves to machinery and set up camps in the Swansea Valley.