A power line carried by newly-designed plastic poles has been installed in the north east of Scotland, in a first for the UK.

A special helicopter from the US was used to lower the 140 poles into place in order to connect Dorenell Wind Farm to Blackhillock Substation near Keith in Moray.

The plastic poles can carry a greater weight than traditional timber structures, meaning fewer of them have to be used.

Local residents had raised concerns about initial proposals for "trident" style timber poles to be installed, leading to the supplier to seek alternatives.

SSE Networks, who are installing the line, says the new poles are environmentally friendly and are less visually intrusive than steel towers.

The 140 poles, which stand 79ft tall and stretch across almost 14 miles, are expected to remain in place for around a century.

Paul Higginbotham, lead project manager at SSEN, said: "This is a new way of delivering electricity in Scotland and I am proud that we are the first transmission network owner to use composite poles in Great Britain.

"The use of composite materials means they have a stronger strength to weight ratio than the traditional wood pole alternative.

"They are also less visually intrusive than steel lattice towers."

He continued: "We shipped in a S64-F Air Crane from the USA to lift and install the poles.

"This innovative installation method meant that we did not require access tracks for the erection process and were able to install the poles quickly in locations that would have been difficult to access by crane."