ENERGY company Powergen is asking parish councils in North Yorkshire to suggest sites where small wind farms might be established.

According to Greenpeace, a poll by ICM shows that 76 per cent of people in the region support Government plans to increase the number of wind turbines in Britain. Eight per cent are opposed to the plans.

The group's climate campaigner, Jim Footner, said "It is no surprise that people in the North-East support wind power. We all face an uncertain future as climate change kicks in, with more floods and rising sea levels.

"One of the best ways to fight global warming is to build wind turbines, which produce clean, green energy."

Several of the county's parish councils have objected to the idea because they believe windfarms will spoil the countryside.

Kirkbymoorside Town Council has said it could not suggest any potential windfarm sites because the town is in a low lying area.

It did suggest that the moorland parts of the North York Moors National Park would probably be more suitable.

But conservationists have warned the landscape could be tarnished if wind farms are developed on a large scale.