A ban on building new homes near power lines may save a single extra case of childhood leukaemia a year but at a cost of £1-2 billion in reduced land values, a new report concludes.

The Stakeholder Advisory Group on Electromagnetic fields (SAGE) says that there is evidence that children who live near high-power cables have a slightly higher risk of developing leukaemia, but that there is no simple and cheap way of eliminating the risk.

The charity Children with Leukaemia said that the findings “left Government with little option but to respond immediately with a commitment to substantive precautionary action”, and the best option was a ban on building homes and schools near power lines.

But the industry view is that such action would be disproportionate. Peter Coyle, Head of Health, Safety and Environment at Energy Networks Association, which represents the industry, said: “SAGE is clear in its view that, on the mainstream view of the science, it is not the right response to bury all power lines or ban building developments near them.”

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