Police chiefs today backed controversial plans to transport wind turbine blades and towers along country roads in Mid Wales – saying the impact of these journeys on local communities would be small.

Dyfed-Powys Police said today it had undertaken two trial runs along Mid Wales roads in the last few weeks both of which had been “successful”.

But campaigners fear the county’s roads will not be able to cope with thousands of lorries carrying turbines to planned windfarm developments.

The Welsh Assembly Government said the trial runs were the first of many planned for this year.

A lorry towing an extended trailer with a police escort carried out the first trial run from Newport to a remote area three miles south of the village of Dolfor, near Newtown.

Police said the truck travelled along the M4 and A470 without incident and delays to motorists were minimised.

The second test run to Mid Wales, started at Ellesmere Port docks near Chester, when a truck and its police escort navigated roads down from North Wales, by-passing the towns of Oswestry and Welshpool

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Ingram, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “Our objectives and those of the Welsh Assembly Government, are to ensure abnormal loads can be brought to sites safely with minimum impact on communities.

“Transportation of the turbines has involved extensive consultation with local authorities. The overriding factor when undertaking these escorts is the safety of the public and those involved in their movement.

“Two trials have occurred in the last few weeks which passed without major incident and, from an escort perspective, were considered successful with minimum disruption.”

Assembly Government spokesman Seb Haines said the trials tested the viability of routes for moving wind farm components by road.

And they follow a report warning that “significant disruption” could be caused.

A report for Powys County Council by consultants Capita Symonds last year, highlighted the logistical problems of transporting a new generation of larger and more powerful turbines to the uplands of Mid Wales.