Environmentalists have held out for their second night in the Euston tunnel, but eviction officials have said the tunnel is close to gas and water mains and that the activists are putting their own lives in danger.
The tunnellers described how they built one of the largest tunnel networks occupied by protesters in one of the busiest parts of London without being noticed.
The network has two main tunnels exiting in different directions from the bottom axis and are said to be at least 30 meters long.
The tunnels were built over a period of months after the establishment of an environmentalist camp in Euston Square Gardens last August. They joined a community of homeless people who were already camping there.
Euston station is one of the busiest in London and serves trains, buses and the Tube. It is on Euston Road, a major thoroughfare through central London.
The Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, Network Rail, Camden Council and Transport for London all denied that it was their responsibility to supervise the digging of tunnels. HS2 said it took possession of the site on Wednesday.
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One of the activists, Ben Hartley, told the Guardian how the covert operation was conducted in plain sight. “It’s not a new idea for protesters to dig tunnels,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the different organizations must have had an idea that something was going on.”
He said the tunnel network, which he described as an “elaborate protest maze,” was considered one of the largest of its kind.
Hartley said the most dangerous time for activists was in a tunnel when bailiffs begin their digs. He believes that at least two members of the High Court Enforcement, the group carrying out the deportation, are well trained in dealing with these types of actions.
He said of the digging operation, “It’s a bit like The Great Escape.” He said the main structure in which the activists in the camp lived in the months leading up to this week’s eviction was a long living space with multiple rooms and a lockable front door. “If someone we didn’t like came by, we just locked the front door,” he said.
When digging underneath this living space began, the activists piled the soil they had removed on the floor of their home. “Towards the end we were squatting as we moved from room to room,” Hartley said. “In some places the earth was piled 1 meter high. We cut the wood to support the tunnel inside as well, so it wouldn’t be visible. “
He said part of the purpose of the protest was to raise awareness about the loss of a precious park in the middle of a highly built-up part of the capital. “It is a real shame that this park is being lost to build a temporary taxi rank,” he said. “We are intelligent and hardworking people and we want to make people aware that this is part of the fight for the future of our species.”
Howard Rees, a spokesman for the Euston Square Gardens tree protectors, said a civilian meeting was urgently needed to address the climate emergency. “We need sensible Britons to take control and guide us in that.”
The activists in the tunnel have released footage of clumsy exchanges with the eviction crew, accusing them of robbing them of sleep around the clock with their drilling and demolition work. Larch Maxey, one of the occupiers, said this was a form of torture for the residents of the tunnel.
High Court Enforcement said: “The national eviction team has been called in to legally remove activists from Euston Gardens. In their efforts to delay their removal, illegal occupiers have occupied a roughly dug tunnel on the land.
“We are aware through our risk assessment and their statements in various media that they have previously experienced a collapse and water entry into their tunnel. The illegitimate activists seem to have put themselves in danger of further tunnel collapse and possibly the interception of nearby gas and water pipes, leading to the risk of suffocation, flooding and drowning.
“To limit the hazards, we use specialized air control compressors to circulate the air and equipment to monitor air conditions. The activists have made no provisions for this. We have on-site engineers available to assess whether the tunnel runs close to gas, water or other utility lines and cables. “