August 14th 2008
Two tunnelling protestors at the Shipley opencast coal site in Derbyshire (Location – Prospect Farm, Bell Lane, Shipley, north of Derby) have been brought to the surface after spending over a week in a tiny hole underground.
The eviction of the protest camp at Prospect Farm began last Thursday, with UK Coal bringing in dozens of police and bailiffs. They originally expected the eviction to last no more than a few days, but hadn’t reckoned with the hardy tunnellers who just kept digging to evade the specialist eviction team. The protesters had been preparing defences including the tunnels, a scaffold tower, lock-ons and treehouses since moving into Prospect Farm in June. The tunnellers’ removal means at least five people have been arrested at the site.