Eviction bid for coal protesters

Coal bosses today revealed legal papers are being prepared to evict protesters camping near a Shropshire beauty spot earmarked for mining.

UK Coal said the action was being taken as the company geared up to start mining at the Little Wenlock site, near The Wrekin, by the autumn.

But the Defend Huntington Lane group today said it was still hoping to stop the development to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal.

UK Coal said today it would go ahead - and sooner rather that later.

Spokesman Stuart Oliver said if protesters did not leave peacefully, they would be forcibly evicted.

He said the Telford site had been put on the back-burner as bosses focused their attentions on completing operations at mines in Northumberland and Durham.

He said: "Those have been sorted now and work is starting - they are both significantly larger sites than Telford and there has been no protests or campaigns there.

"We hope to be on site and starting with work proper by the autumn.

"We are currently in the process of putting papers together. It will eventually culminate in a court order which will give us the power to remove the protesters from the land.

"Hopefully they will stick to their oft-repeated promise that they will leave peacefully.

"If not, a national eviction team will go in once all the paperwork is in place to remove them.

"We are as committed as ever to starting work on this site as soon as possible."

A spokesman for the protesters said they had no intention of giving up without a fight — and issued a rallying call for more people to join them.

He said: "Time is fast running out before an eviction notice is served and the camp would like to issue a call out for people, tools, lock on gear of all kinds — padlocks, D-locks — water and food. Words of solidarity and support are also very gratefully received."

Campaigners first moved onto the site in the shadow of The Wrekin six months ago after the mining application was approved.

Since then they have dug a network of tunnels underneath the site and floated down the Severn on a hand-made raft to highlight their cause.