David Davis visited Bolam, near West Auckland (From The Northern Echo)

David Davis visited Bolam, near West Auckland

8:54am Saturday 13th March 2010 in

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AN MP who stood against David Cameron in the Conservative Party leadership race has backed villagers fighting a planned wind farm on the outskirts of their community.

David Davis, who represents the Humberside ward of Haltemprice and Howden, visited Bolam, near West Auckland, County Durham as part of a day-long tour of the region with fellow Conservative Barbara Harrison, who will contest the Bishop Auckland ward in the looming General Election.

Mr Davis and Mrs Harrison also visited Spennymoor, where they spoke to business owners, and Byers Green, where they spoke to people from social work group Cares.

Npower Renewables wants to create a wind farm of up to seven 125m-high turbines on the outskirts of Bolam, which was granted conservation status on Wednesday.

After speaking to villagers and touring the proposed site of the wind farm, Mr Davis said: “Bolam is a lovely village and I couldn’t think of a less appropriate place to put a wind farm.

“It will ruin the view in all directions and seriously affect the lives of residents.

“I don’t think the residents have got a strong case against this wind farm, I think their case is almost unarguable, but these types of thing are never as clear as that.”

Mrs Harrison said: “I’m really grateful for David for coming up to the area. I think he is the type of MP that people can relate to quite easily.”

Mr Davis, who was runner-up to Mr Cameron in the 2005 leadership race, said he was confident Mrs Harrison would be successful in the General Election.

“I fully expect to see her in the House of Commons in the next few months.

“She has got a fight on her hands, but the whole election is going to be quite a big fight,” he said.