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St David's Wood / Blackwood anti-road camp - updates 13th Febraury 2004 r0402132

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 04:25:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Rowan1@planet-save.com
Subject: St David's Wood - SITUATION DESPERATE!!

SITUATION DESPERATE!!

Costain have now got the licence to carry on destroying the Ancient Woodland around the Dormice. They've already destroyed some of that area over the last week or so and are currently shredding everything they've cut down, destroying all evidence of any nests etc. They're not allowed to move the Dormice till April but the licence allows them work around them. How do they know exactly where all the nests are if the Dormice are hibernating? How many are they going to kill?

The heavy machinery for cutting down the big trees is now out of the compound and ready to go. There's nothing to stop them now except people. There are currently just 2 people in each camp and they desperately need more people ASAP to stop this destruction! Even if you can't stay overnight, being there during working hours will help no end (including the weekend!)

It's desperate now. Please come, they can't stop this with the small numbers they've got there now, with more people we can win this!!! Please spread the word as widely as you can, this could be the last chance to save the Ancient Woodland, Dormice and Bats!

Regular updates on http://www.warband.org and http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285290.html

Thank you

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From: bardofely@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: URGENT Update
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 19:48:57 -0000

BAILIFFS ARRIVED - BLACKWOOD NEEDS YOU NOW!!

Just had a call from site....

Bailiffs are there NOW - the huge JCB started it's engine while we were talking - they're clearing a path to the Ancient Woods, they'll be there in a few hours. They just watched this JCB pick up a huge Oak and toss it aside like a matchstick.

They ARE working tomorrow, this is it now - they mean business.

THEY HAVEN'T MENTIONED AN EVICTION, BUT THE BAILIFFS HAVE CLIMBING GEAR WITH THEM.

No police as yet.

If we're going to save these woods people need to get there today to strengthen defences tonight - tomorrow morning at the very latest!

Legalities are still going ahead - turns out the Dormice were found LAST SUMMER and they've known about the Bats since the start so this should have been sorted out before any work started - but they're still going ahead with the destruction! They can be stopped legally, but until that happens the only chance is for people to get there NOW to stop them before it's too late for the legal bods to do their bit.

This really is the LAST CHANCE to save the Dormice, Bats and one of the last few precious bits of Ancient Woodland in that part of Wales! PLEASE get there, or tell others who might not have internet access, this next day or two is vital!

Please post this wherever you can!

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From: bardofely@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: Update on St David's wood
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 19:43:09 -0000

St Davids Wood / Blackwood links to do with the campaign

Main LAW thread with regular updates & links -
http://www.warband.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=news;action=display;num=1074211424;start=

BBCiYour Say -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/yoursay/topics/news.shtml

BBCican -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ican/G406

This is the background of the Harry Potter case that has just been used to get the injunction for Blackwood -
http://pamediapoint.press.net/services/media_law/updates/2003/harrypotte r190603.htm
http://www.lawreports.co.uk/chanmayc0.5.htm
Both the above taken from Indymedia - http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285173.html

Indymedia Links -
With map and video - http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285042.html
Bristol Indymedia - http://bristol.indymedia.org/ - on main page and lots on the 'Latest News' on the right
Indymedia Wales - http://www.indycymru.org.uk/ - main page and Past Articles on the right

This is Gwent -
http://www.thisisgwent.co.uk/gwent/news/
('Select your area' dropdown on left, choose Gwent, not Blackwood)

Sirhowy Enterprise Way PFI Project Website showing the road scheme and why they claim it's needed -
http://www.gwent-consultancy.com/sew.htm

Woodland Trust -
http://www.the-woodland-trust.org.uk/whatsnew/pressfirst.asp?aid=179

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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:11:40 -0000
From: office@tlio.demon.co.uk
Subject: BLACKWOOD EVICTION UNDERWAY NOW!!!!

BLACKWOOD EVICTION UNDERWAY NOW!!!! PEOPLE GET DOWN THERE!!!!

by ANARCHOTEAPOT, 13.02.2004 - posted to Indymedia at 11:31am
ref - http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285290.html

URGENT request for someone to set up a BREAKING NEWS feature... (don't know how to...). Have had phone calls from south wales that Costains have, overnight, got a licence to continue trashing the woods even though there was an instruction to stop from the Countryside Commission for Wales, via the Welsh Assembly, because of dormouse colonies (and bat roosts) on the route. Apparently one night is all it takes to overcome any legal objections to massacring wildlife. The Permanent campers had left site as a result of the dodgy 'Harry Potter' injunction brought against them, and so the site was unoccupied when the contractors moved in this morning. Unsure whether people are still occupying the strip of land which was still in the posssession on a local landowner, but requisitioned by Costains for their road working...trying to organise getting down to site from lancaster...but people need to get bodies down there NOW to see what is salvagable. Big modified JCB with tree-crunching arm has made it out of its compound and through barricades to camp. Mucho destruction. This is an AROOOGA...

Network it as far as possible but for god's sake get down there...more bodies on site before now might have avoided this...

more details from Cardiff, the licence to work on the dormouse colonies has definitely been granted (but people are presuming they'll have to make some show of moving them (in the bucket of a JCB) before trashing those sections of the woods. There is still a camp, but as a result of the injunction against the campers, there's been something of a 'tactical withdrawal', i.e. shifting the camp from where it was (right against the route, across the track which is needed for JCB etc access) and up the slopes a bit into the disputed strip of land. The call has come out from the people on site, who are getting severely burnt out and are now facing the digger with its tree-munching arm on their own. They have been advised to stay put in section six areas and wait for legal challenges to the injunction to move on (how can you be injuncted to stay away from your legal home?), but need sorted/experienced campaigners to get down there and consolidate the camp before it falls apart....

The camp is still there, it has been shifted up the hill in a tactical withdrawal from the costains, injuncted land to the strip with disputed ownership, the 'easement' land beyond costain's, which they need for working on. The monster JCB with tree- crushing/snapping/trashing attachments has made it out of its compound and down to the woods despite various tactics to keep it in its cave, and destruction can now continue apace. the campers there need support, in consolidating the shifted camp and trying to stop work. get down there people....

anarchoteapot


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