They may only be small in size, but the people two of Somerset’s tiniest villages showed they are no pushovers when it comes to protecting their picturesque home.

Around 200 people marched from Christon to Loxton at the weekend, two little villages better described as hamlets, which sit happily at the foot of the Mendip Hills.

But they are also a central part of a plan to build huge new electricity pylons which will cut through swathes of the countryside, which locals say will ruin the rural charm of their home.

The National Grid wants to build the pylons from the planned new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, south of Bridgwater, to Avonmouth in Bristol. Along the way they would pass through dozens of Somerset fields, leaving many villages to sit in their shadow.

The plans have sparked campaigns across the region, after the Western Daily Press first revealed National Grid’s proposal last year. Carol Vorderman lent her support to another set of villagers near Portishead, after it emerged the pylons will pass near her North Somerset home.

In Loxton and Christon – between Cheddar and Weston-super-Mare – on Saturday, it was clear they were not going to give up without a fight, and local Tory MP John Penrose joined in the protest.

The villagers said they would like to see the electricity lines buried underground or routed under the seabed – a solution ruled out by the National Grid because it is too expensive.

The company says it would cost £1.9 billion, compared to £656 million to put them overground.

A helicopter was flown down the valley at a height of 150ft to show villagers on the march how high the new pylons would be.

Mr Penrose said: “A lot of people were shocked at just how high the pylons would stand. I think the turnout reflected the extraordinarily high amount of concern by local people about these proposals.

“People are very worried about the effect on the countryside, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“Local people are rightly concerned by the failure of National Grid to make all the necessary information available from the start. We will need many more details on the pros and cons of each route corridor in future, otherwise the next rounds of consultation will be meaningless.

“It looks as though putting the lines underground or under the sea will cost more than pylons, but we’ve got to match those costs against the value of our beautiful countryside.

“We live in an officially-designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so local people are entitled to ask, ‘If our area isn’t worth saving, where is?’”

The first phase of public consultations over the proposed Hinkley Point power station has closed.

For 14-weeks residents and local authorities have sent National Grid comments about the proposed pylons between Bridgwater and Avonmouth near Bristol.

The company claims to have received more than 2,000 feedback forms, around 1,100 letters and e-mails, and nearly 100 telephone calls from residents.

National Grid has started examining the feedback “which, along with the engineering and environmental considerations, will determine which corridor is chosen.”

The decision is expected to be announced in the next two months.

As part of consultation, more than 38,000 households received information about the project, 4,500 people attended the 17 public exhibitions and presentations given to district councils, 50 parish councils and 50 ward councillors.

Documentation was also provided to libraries and council offices in the area.

National Grid major project manager David Mercer said: “The main objective of the consultation is to gather the communities’ views.

“No decision has been made about which route will be taken so this feedback will help inform that decision.

“Obviously cost is an important consideration but it’s only one factor when we look at the options for the connection.

“We will aim for a route which has the best balance of community, environmental, engineering and financial factors.”

Following the decision there will be a detailed environmental impact assessment, discussions with landowners and further public consultation, before the precise route is decided.

Consultation on this phase will continue until National Grid applies to the Infrastructure Planning Commission for a Development Consent Order in 2011.