Harry Potter fans force relocation of £430m undersea cable to avoid Dobby’s ‘grave’ A group of Harry Potter fans has successfully lobbied to reroute a £430 million undersea power cable linking the UK and Ireland, persuading the project’s developers to avoid a site they claimed was the fictional “grave” of Dobby, a character from J.K. Rowling’s series. The cable, known as the Greenlink interconnector, was initially planned to pass near Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where fans had gathered to commemorate the elf’s supposed resting place. The relocation came after widespread public outcry and pressure from the wizarding community. The controversy began when project manager Simon Ludlam inadvertently revealed the cable’s proposed route during a BBC interview. He described the 125-mile (200km) cable’s path, which would have run underground near the beach, during a segment about the project’s progress. The footage was later aired, sparking hundreds of calls to the company’s office. Fans, who had long associated the site with Dobby’s fictional burial, argued that the cable’s presence would desecrate the area, despite the National Trust’s warnings about the beach’s ecological sensitivity. Ludlam, who initially had no knowledge of Dobby’s significance, expressed confusion over the calls. A colleague informed him that the project’s route was perceived as passing through the elf’s “grave,” prompting Ludlam to question the validity of the claim. “I said: ‘Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby?’” he recalled. “He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?’” The colleague insisted the issue was serious, leading the company to consult planners and adjust the cable’s path.#j_k_rowling #harry_potter_fans #dobby #pembrokeshire #greenlink_interconnector
