They already have! “When Shell proposed a pipeline from the North East coast of Anglesey to Stanlow refinery, seventy eight miles away in industrial Cheshire, people were worried. The line would run through part of the Snowdonia National Park and have to pass under rivers Conwy, Elwy, Clwyd and Dee. What scars would remain? It is five years since the line was laid, and as I fly along the route today, even I can see no sign of it. On the ground, the course of the pipe can be followed by a series ot small unobtrusive markers. Apart from these, there is nothing to tell you that the top of a pipeline runs one metre beneath your teet. The sheer invisibility oi the line surprises visitors but not me. 1 was responsible for re-instating the land and well know what unprecedented lengths we went to. Every toot of the way was photographed before digging started, and the vegetation restored the way the record showed it … even to the exact varieties of grass. Sometimes, I agreed deviations in the line to avoid disturbing rare trees. In addition, a team ot archaeologists preceded pipeline contractors to make sure that the route would avoid cromlechs, barrows, earthworks and other historical sites. “We are proud ot the result, and it shows the way ftor othner conservation projects.” You can be sure of Shell Click here to return to the text.