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Eco-warrior camp attacked
Tuesday 30th March 2010, 10:20AM BST.
Part of the campsite on The Wrekin
A camp set up in Shropshire by eco-warriors protesting over plans to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal has come under attack, it was revealed today.
Campaigners – including young children – living on the site between New Works and Little Wenlock, in the shadow of The Wrekin, were left terrified after their peace was shattered by three “thunderous” bangs in the middle of the night.
They claim the noise was created by air bombs or fireworks being hurled directly at the camp.
But they have vowed to hold firm and have now set up a 24-hour guard to protect the camp from further attacks.
One of the campaigners, known only as Chris for legal reasons, said today: “It was terrifying, really terrifying.
“It was in the dead of night, deathly quiet, and then all of a sudden we heard these three thunderous bangs quickly one after the other.
“It sounded like air bombs or fireworks and they were targeted straight at the camp.
“I shouted out ‘what the heck was that’. It was that loud it was as if we were under attack.
“We had four young children here who were asleep and it woke them up, they were frightened half to death.
“But we will not be moved.
“I have been here for three weeks and I intend to be here for a lot longer yet. We have got a few surprises for UK Coal.”
Campaigners moved onto the site determined to stop UK Coal starting work at the site, claiming it would wreck the countryside.
UK Coal appealed after Telford & Wrekin Council failed to come to a decision over the application to mine at the Huntington Lane site.
But a public inquiry was held last year and planning inspector Andrew Mead recommended the appeal be allowed, which paved the way for Secretary of State John Denham to grant permission.
UK Coal spokesman Stuart Oliver put the incident down to “prankish yobbery”.
He said: “While the protesters are illegally trespassing on the land, we do condemn any action that could cause injury or harm to these people.”
Police are investigating Saturday’s attack and have appealed for witnesses to contact 0300 333 3000.
By Wayne Beese
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lefty loonie greens, they are communists in disguise sent by the russians and the EU to undermine our economy
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Tory boy?
You’re back!
We’ve missed you.
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Eco-warriors, is that the latest media-speak for ‘trespassers’?
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Tory Boy – Take no notice of Andrew. You weren’t missed!
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Like piles.
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How do we know that they were the ‘targets’ of the noise? I also wonder who gave these people permission to cut down their trees to set fire to? All property is theft!!!!!
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Andrew Owen said:
“Tory boy?
You’re back!
We’ve missed you. ”
Speak for yourself Andrew….
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Get them move of that land i bet they have not got permission to be they and stop cuting dome the tree to .Let get the digger in and get th e coal and move them on
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Sorry about that.
But I turn my back for 1 minute and the lad is messing around on my computer again. He will be sent to bed early tonight with no tea.
BTW #6 Colin – If “all property is theft”, can I have your house?
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Sorry, I meant #6 ‘Cliff’ (not Colin) – the lad has just thrown a strop and it’s impossible to concentrate when he’s like that.
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well how sad are you if i was the owners of the land i would have you off it asap cant you get over it they are going to mine it a silly litle camp is not going to stop them o and cant you afford a decient tent
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Er Cliff,
I think you will find that the tree cutting vandalism was done by UK coal…with plenty more desecration to come yet.
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Interesting. Tory Boy is clearly a Labour Party drool. Sorry! I mean Troll!
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Get the digger in move thim on and get on moveing the coal out
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Cliff…They didn’t cut down the trees; the trees were cut down by UKCoal in preparation for the roadway they intend to build.
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Cliff – it was UK COAL who cut down all the trees – not us.
Perhaps you might grasp we dont want any more devastation by them?
Pat.
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Tory Boy – as our local Conservative MP fought alongside many of us to stop this awful mine coming – are you inferring that he , too, is a Commie?
If so, then by reson, as he is a Tory as well, you also must be a Commie.
Dubrozhenia Comrade – we didnt miss youat all.
Pat.
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Tory boy – if you don’t like your greens just leave them at the sid of your plate.
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what is wrong with tory boys back? he has returned just in time to see diddy david cameron lose the next election by 18 seats. in the meantime hands off the eco camp, they are all doing a great job and deserve our thanks, unless of course you want a slag heap instead of the wrekin
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Tory Boy you think the EU needs to send communists to undermine our economy…what a laugh! Those greedy capitalists ruined it all by themselves and now expect you the tax payer to bail them out.And you think lefty loony greens are mad, Well they must be to want a livable environment to live in after UK coal have shat all over the woods. Oh and i am not a communist just a friendly anarchist…The only honest political position to take in this crazy world!
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P Booth & Chris, dont seem to have taken on board the fact that once Tunnels are established, no heavy plant can come near the site, in case a fall causes a death – that then becomes corporative manslaughter, thanks to the corporate manslaughter laws brought into law last year – thanks Mr Brown – at least you managed to achieve something.
( ladies protesters lasted for many years – Mainhill in Scotland for 2 , the camp may well be there for quite some time.
Good luck I say.
Magister.
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Air bombs ???? anyone asked the local farmer if he is useing a crow scarer in a recently planted field???. I think mystery solved.
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Am I missing something?. It doesn’t seem too long ago that the country was torn apart by the dispute over pit closures, now people are protesting about a pit opening. If it means cheaper fuel and jobs for the community then surely that is a positive move. Quite agree about the “eco warriors” though, layabouts and dole merchants.
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How do all these self righteous, middle class drop-outs manage to get the time off work?
Oh right, of course……
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these people are like arther scargill in the 80s fighting against the market forces which run our lives, they cannot win, ironically of course they both lead to more coal coming from poland in the end, they both need a shower and a new wardrobe
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Stupid idiots – why are the children not in School. The only people this will help are the Russians whose coal we will be forced to buy to power our powerstations. These hippys are fuel terrorists.
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Ooh, I think Cliff may have struck a bit of a nerve. Why is it that people cannot accept a decision made through a legal process? Had the No-Mining lobby have had the decision go their way there would have been merry hell to play if Mr UK Coal had turned up in his bulldozer and busily ripped off the surface. The legal process has finished, live with it!
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Dave t seems to not understand energy security issues – we can at present buy what we need from abroad – those countries willing to sell their energy reserves for needed capital, thus depleting their strategic reserves in future times.
We on the other hand, if allowing continual drip feed extraction of our precious remaining reserves, will have nothing left when the current open market of coal availiblity, ends.
Remeber Russia cut the Gas supply off last year to Europe?
If the coal conveyor from there is shut down, we will need every ounce of indigineous coal for ourselves – and no one will object to their use in a national emergency.
Leaving our reserves where they are at present is sound economical sense for future generations – let others squander theirs for ahandful of silver that we can pay them, but leave our lver in the ground until needed.
Magister.
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Seems Veritas 10 doesnt think children should be allowed to overnight at weekends with their parents – next stage Dictatorship with people who think like this.
Fuel Terrorists?
No way – we want to hold our reserves in place – that way when Russia cuts off the coal supply, we will have a reserve so you can keep your computer on to write rubbish like you have done.
For the record – any children there are present AFTER Schooling, or over the weekend.
Pat Judson.
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I saw that coal had been shovelled on to the track from the standing trucks that are enroute to Ironbridge.
Someone standing on the bridge by me told me it was eco warriors and I was surprised not having heard anything about this in the local paper.
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These people want to get themselves jobs rather than disrupt others. Plus what sort of life is that for kids.
I notice that these folks have only been on site for a few weeks, obviously they believe in their principles but only when it’s not to cold for camping.
P.S love the carbon emissions shown in the photo – well done peeps, what great environmentalists you are!
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@Brimondo: burning wood is possibly the closest you can get to a carbon-neutral fuel there is, silly. Trees grow back and ‘drink’ CO2 while they are alive – coal/oil/gas take millions of years to form.
Granted, wind, solar, nuclear and hydroelectric are also good but I doubt these protesters can afford (or get planning permission for) such an investment at this stage…ahem.
Keep up the protest!
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Appreciation given BobbyC, honest posting.
Clear, precise, factual.
;-)
COTEYG
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Eva Land.
“Somebody told me it was Eco Warriors”
Perhaps because others who nobody knows did the Coal on the track protest?
People at the Rainbows End camp at new Works wood, couldnt afford to dump useable fuel like that, so guess they are wealthy Eco`s?
Maybe, just maybe, people are waking up to this in their own little ways, and showing their disillusionment with the whole Opencast Coal /fossil fuel issue as Government allows it to be at present?
Amend Mineral Planning Guidance regarding 500 metre Buffer Zones now, to allow the English people , equal protection against the effects from Opencast mining that Scotland, and Wales gives its population.
COTEYG
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!Brimondo”.
When was the last time you spent a night in a non production, Argos or Halfords purchased “bivii” in mid Marchs inclement weather.?.
Perhaps it ..”Was warmer in March and with better weather , when I was a lad”.
Wake up at 4am with ice on the sides of the Teepee, and a condensation soaked sleeping bag (if your`e really fortunate), and speak then of “not too cold for camping”.
COTEYG.
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hippies
its not like its the wrekin itself being mined, or even shropshire proper, this is telford, built to be developed, rather all the industry in one place (which i can avoid)
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Brimondo, BobbyC is right about burning wood.
By contrast, coal is the most carbon-intensive of fuels.
Burning coal produces 1,153 grammes of CO2 per kilowatt hour.
If we take climate change seriously, we should all be opposing developments like this.
Well done to the protesters.
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@Brimondo,
1. I have been staying at the site several times over the last two weeks, and i have a job, with a large multinational corporation, and have workled there for 10 years, and many of the others that have stayed over, or come and assisted with the camp also have jobs, and are coming over to help in their free time.
2. the couple of children that have been there, have stayed 1 night at the weekend, they don’t live there, they are also in full time schooling.
3. It’s snowing today, and people are still there.
4. As for the carbon, surely better that small fires, from wood that has already been felled, are used for the purposes of heat, light, and preparing food, then setting up petrol generators, freezing, and eating uncooked food!
We are trying to protect and area of natural beauty, that is connected to the local history of the area, rather then let it get trashed for a small amount of energy and eventually turned in housing for profits, when there are more sustainable ways to generate power and more suitable land for housing
/rant!
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Nelson’s unpleasant insults in #24 debase this important discussion and do him no credit.
They also need a little extra context for those unfamiliar with Nelson.
See this thread for an insight into his world-view:
http://www.shropshirestar.com/2007/03/29/dont-accept-eu-climate-scam/ comment #1.
Here Nelson writes to agree with the ‘common sense’ of Oswestry’s Wendy Slark, who thinks that ‘carbon dioxide is not driving climate change.’
If Wendy Slark is right, Nelson, then why does every national science academy in the world disagree with her?
Innumerable scientific institutions state that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and that human emissions of CO2 are changing our climate.
For those, like me, who will no longer stand for Big Coal’s disinformation campaign on climate change, the Huntington Lane protesters’ willingness to stand up to intimidation and online insults to conserve their land and their community, is inspiring.
Jim Hansen from NASA, one of the foremost experts on climate change in the world, spoke in Coventry Cathedral on March 19th 2009 at a rally organised by Christian Aid.
Hansen said, ‘coal is the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet.’
If our current crop of politicians know this but do nothing about it, (see Labour Secretary of State John Denham in the article), then it is up to protests like this to turn around public opinion.
Well done to the protesters!
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“Dog” – eating uncooked food isn’t so bad – depends what it is… Fruit, Nuts etc. Should be just the thing for you, contains lots of goodness for those long winter nights!
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Why can’t these hippies do something useful like writing comments to a news story online if they want to get something done. Instead they have the temerity to get off their backsides and do something to demonstrate what they “believe” in (Supposedly….But I think it’s all attention seeking and trying to impress girls). Ugh! It disgusts me. How can I show any admiration for people like that?
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i comptely agree with tory boy, hang the tramps they are unionists no doubt working for the old coal unions, get them out of the UK, they deserve to live in the third world without electric
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#24 Nelson – as Dog stated, most work -and are giving their free time or holidays up, one is a VERY wealthy man due to funds left to him, some of us are retired ( we can return to a lovely Jacuzzi after our stints), but mostly with the exception of generous donations from those who see what we see, its self financing ( Ive spent a fortune on the campaign over the last 2 + years, from my own savings).
Get over it – there are a lot of people who will get off their backsides to TRY and save this site, just because you arent one of them, perhaps tyou ought to think of changing your job to allow you to have alittle more free time like others?
COTEYG
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Well done to #38 Dog …
“I have been staying at the site several times over the last two weeks, and i have a job, with a large multinational corporation, and have workled there for 10 years”…..
I hope McDonalds employ you for another 10 years!
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Well done to the people making a stand against UK coal mining our beautiful countryside. You are doing a fantastic job there for future generations, and I hope you can win your battle.
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Virgil: ‘Your descendants shall gather your fruits.’
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#34Pat Judson. said:
Eva Land.
“Somebody told me it was Eco Warriors
I just happened to be walking the dog and saw that coal had been shovelled onto the tracks and a passer by informed me it had been done on purpose.
The last time I remember reading about eco warriors was regarding the couple in Picklescott who are trying to bypass planning laws to get a dwelling in an ANOB.
So eco warriors can be saving the countryside from development on the one hand or developing in an area specially protected by laws on the other!
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In a few weeks I will be bringing a group to visit the Wrekin and Ercall from Australia. I am stunned at the lack of pride and respect from those living near such a beautiful place which should be preserved at all costs. I am not a hippie, communist or any other silly tagged name. Just a regular tourist who appreciates your country and your history. Keep up the protest..we support you!
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I agree , Lorraine, far too many people are blinkered to seeing anything outside their own streets and don’t appreciate the natural beauty and history of the beautiful countryside that they are lucky enough to live nearby. They should go and live amongst the slums of birmingham if they don’t care enough to fight for for the Shropshire countryside.
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Huw … Thanks for the gardening tip!
It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be!
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#42,
We can easily live without electric – people on site know exactly how to produce from solar, pico hydro electric generators ( if we had a fast flowing stream), wind, and all using very little effect on the environment.
How long could Anne k last without her electric hair straighteners, Plasma TV, and all the other consumeables that create the need for more and more energy.
Oh, and by the way, I have never voted Labour, and havent been a member of a union since I was 18, and forced to do so by the firm I worked for at the time.
If I wanted to live abroad, I would do so, but some of us have to remain here and try to alter the awful mess we are in by any means we can.
COTEYG.
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You, Pat, and the protesters are far braver than me or any of the ‘wolves’ who won’t even give their names.
Virgil: ‘Fortune favors the bold.’
Keep up the good work!
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Thanks Huw,we are all just sewing individual threads into the great Tapestry of Environmental awareness, nay, sanity, that is currently taking place nationally, and worldwide.
This Governments attitude to the constant drip, drip erosion of our national Coal reserves is what the true “Commies” want, a total reliance upon imported coal, at a time when we will have no reserves – as they will have been used up.
We, as a Nation, will then be helpless.
Retain the National Coal reserves for atime when we really need every ounce to sustain our own energy needs – that time, is not now.
COTEYG.
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History will spit on those who do nothing in the face of the biggest threat faced by mankind. While the majority of UK residents remain ignorant, apathetic and reluctant to get passionate about anything other than celebrities or football, there are the brave and determined few who seek to push for change, even when it would appear that all the odds are against them. History has shown that it is always those determined few that make positive change in this world. It’s easy to criticise those who you do not understand, or feel threatened by. I’m sure many of the negative posts here are from those who have no concept of being so passionate about the wellfare of others and the planet we need to survive. The thought of spending time and energy camping in the cold to protect a beautiful area and a beautiful planet must seem quite alien to those who simply do not understand the danger we face. I only hope that those of them with children don’t get it too hard from their kids 10 years down the line. Whereas those of us who have camped and protested on the sites of ecological crimes will be able tell our children wonderful stories of courage and community, those who do nothing will struggle to find an answer to the simple question posed by their offspring: ‘Mum, Dad, what role did YOU play in preventing this catastrophe’?
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There is no dole anymore. There is job seekers that is withdrawn if you do not do as you are told and is not enough to buy food with if you also want to heat your house. I have found this out to my cost as I have had open heart surgery 3 times that leaves me sleeping 12 yours a day if I rest the other 12. I can not hold down a full time job, but am considered too able bodied for DLA. Therefor I support my family on the 2 hours work I can manage each day.
Don’t kid yourselves – Dole no longer exists.
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