Swynnerton HS2 protesters emerge after 47 days underground

Speaking on Friday, one tunnel expert believed the security operation was costing £50,000-£60,000 a day

Protesters have left tunnels under an HS2 building site after what is thought to be a record-breaking 47 days underground.

The activists at Swynnerton, in Staffordshire, said they made the decision after exhausting supplies.

About 40 people had been living at a protest site just off the A51, when evictions began. in May.

A handful of protesters then chose to enter tunnels, defying calls from HS2 Ltd for them to leave.

They have been demonstrating against plans to cut down ancient woods to make way for the high-speed rail line.

HS2 in turn said it was creating new wildlife habitats and planting thousands of extra trees along phase one of the route between London and Birmingham.

The firm has been monitoring air quality in the tunnel and supplying oxygen as a safety precaution.

Speaking on Friday, one tunnel expert believed the security operation was costing £50,000-£60,000 a day

The protesters said the 40m-long (131 ft) tunnel they escaped through had gone undetected by HS2 for six weeks and that it brought them out "right under their noses".

The previous UK record is believed to be the 40 days protesters against the A130 in Essex spent in tunnels in 2000.

Speaking on Friday, a spokesperson for HS2 said it was the efforts of its staff and the emergency services that had "enabled the safe conclusion" of other HS2 protest camps.

In November 2021, HS2 protesters in Buckinghamshire remained underground for 28 days., while the last person was finally removed from a tunnel near Euston after 31 days.