Stop HS2 campaigners in Uxbridge had a rude awakening this morning, when High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs), supported by local police, began the process of evicting them from their camp on Harvil Road near Harefield. The site – which has been been the campaigners’ home for almost two years – was previously bought under a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to allow for the construction of the HS2 high-speed rail project. In spite of this, activists on the ground maintain that the eviction is illegal, as the HCEOs do not have an order from the court authorising them to take possession. Those opposed to HS2 argue that the project will destroy hundreds of important wildlife sites across the country, without reducing long-term CO₂ emissions or effecting a ‘modal shift’ away from short-haul air travel. HS2 Ltd (the company created by the government to undertake the project) has made clear that, in spite of significant delays and spiraling costs, they fully intend to begin a raft of construction work in Uxbridge and beyond. In response, campaigners have stepped up their opposition, last week establishing another ‘active protection camp’ in Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
More on this story as it develops.

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Photo credit: Still taken from a livestream by Mark Keir