It is no great secret that huge swathes of rural Yorkshire in particular are woefully underserved when it comes to reliable, fast internet connections.

You do not have to look very far to find examples of people being unable to stay properly in touch with loved ones, or unable to effectively work from home owing to having either no broadband connection at all or one they simply cannot rely on.

There are even countless examples of people having to move their businesses elsewhere, businesses that would have made healthy contributions to their local communities, not least in tax revenues, due to poor connectivity.

And so news in the historic Brontë village of Haworth that a superfast 5G connection to online networks has been blocked will be the cause of understandable frustration to those who see access to a faster, more reliable digital world as something of a lifeline, be that to their business or themselves.

Haworth planners have rejected a 5G mast, but those in favour high-speed internet must not demonise those seeking to protect something so precious and of such historic importance that once lost, cannot be retrieved.

Planners threw out the proposed improvement to the digital infrastructure, fearing the equipment would be an eyesore in the village.

At almost 60ft tall, their concerns are understandable and those who know the value of protecting places such as Haworth from anything detrimental to their character, identity and beauty should not be demonised but celebrated as guardians of something that, once gone, cannot be retrieved.

The challenge is, then, to ensure good people who can generate vibrancy, prosperity and a sense of community are not chased away by what they may well see as a Luddite mentality hell-bent on freezing people and places in time. Conversations must continue if compromise is to be found.

Do not demonise Haworth's 5G mast blockers who know how precious Bronte history really is - The YP Says