A detailed report has concluded pylons in a quiet country lane are safe, despite a cyclist claiming she has an electric shock whenever she rides underneath them.

National Grid’s Electromotive Force adviser Chris Haswell and his colleagues Dr Hayley Tripp and Dr John Swanson were sent to Sheppey Way in Iwade in January to look into the matter after the News Extra carried a story about Laura Pike’s experiences.

The mother-of-two, of Sanderling Way, described the feeling as “being pinched between two bars of metal” as she left the village and headed towards Sheppey bridge.

She realised it was happening at the same point every time.

After posting her experience on the Iwade Does Facebook group several others said it happened to them at the same location. The National Grid team used specialist equipment to measure electric fields in the area.

The exposure guideline level is 46 kilovolts/metre (kV/m). By the side of the road it was found to be 10.2kV/m and 10.9kV/m in the middle of the road.

In a recent letter to parish councillor David Wastall, Mr Haswell gave advice on how people can avoid microshocks and offered to talk to those who use the road.

He said: “When riding a bicycle under an overhead line cyclists should try, while keeping their hands on the grips, maintaining a firm grip on the metal brake levers or the bare metal of the handlebars.

"A light contact could encourage microshocks for about 20m either side of the overhead line. In respect of pedestrians and cyclists it would be useful to be able to talk to people who use Sheppey Way to allow a discussion on microshocks to take place.”

He explained options to either increase the conductor clearance above the ground or provide an electric field screen across the whole width of the road had been investigated.

While they would reduce the electric field neither would totally remove the risk of microshocks occurring.

Another option to alter the arrangement phases of the overhead line was said to be impractical due to space constraints at the substations at either end of the overhead line which would lead to a number of safety issues.

Parish council chairman James Hunt said: “We hope to hold a talk at a later date for residents to attend.”