THE Malvern Hills was the location for a novel experiment in civil engineering 50 years ago, when, for the first time in Britain, a helicopter was used to help lay an electric power cable.

The helicopter was used to carry a rope across the valley which lies between Swinyard Hill and Netherton Farm, to the west.

The Midlands Electricity Board decided to try out the technique to avoid having to fell trees and leave an ugly scar across the picturesque wooded dell, part of the Eastnor Estate.

The cable was part of a 66,000 volt line intended to provide reinforcement of power supplied to Herefordshire.

"On Tuesday," said the Gazette, "The pilot, Mr J Harper, of Pest Control Ltd, Cambridge, made a run over the 1,280ft-long route in his yellow dragon-fly-like mach-ine, Sammy.

"The helicopter and its two-man crew paid out a light rope from a drum jutting from the port side of the nose."

Once the rope was laid between two poles on either side of the valley, it was used to haul across a light steel cable with a breaking strain of 4 tons, which in turn was used to pull the power cable itself.

The operation was a success. Observing it, the chairman of the Midlands Electricity Board, W S Lewis, said: "That was grand."