Protestors have dug a tunnel near Euston station and aren’t planning on leaving any time soon, as part of their campaign against the HS2 rail project which they claim will destroy 108 ancient woodlands, countless wildlife habitats and communities.

The HS2 rail project, estimated to cost a massive £106 billion according to an official review leaked to the Financial Times back in January 2020, is a new train line which would connect London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. The project, which isn’t going to be completed until around the 2040’s, was given the go- ahead by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in February 2020.

Since then, members of the HS2 rebellion group, made up of eco- activists who are outraged at the damage this project will do to the environment and the expenses that could go to much better causes, have set up a ‘Tree protection camp’ in Euston Square Gardens in protest of the scheme. 

Earlier this week, the activists revealed a secret 100ft tunnel that they spent two months digging, in an attempt to prevent their eviction from the aforementioned protest camp.

One protestor, talking to the BBC, said that they would ‘sacrifice everything for the climate ecological emergency to not be happening’, whilst another protestor, one of at least four still inside the tunnel following eviction attempts made on Wednesday morning, told the Guardian that the protest was ‘the most important moment’ in his life so far.

If you want to find out ways to help the movement or if you want to show your support, make sure to visit the official  ‘stop HS2’ page on twitter  (@stopHS2) and checkout @Hs2rebellion on Instagram for updates and information.