by Bethany Rielly

A SAFETY expert has warned that it is “only a matter of time before someone dies” during the eviction of the Euston tunnel protesters in London if the bailiffs’ “dangerous” operation continues.   

Operators for the National Eviction Team, a firm that claims to be “protester removal specialists,” have been digging directly above the tunnel in Euston Square Gardens over the past few days, according to campaigners. 

Peter Faulding, who has worked in specialist rescue for decades, told the Morning Star today that this is “probably the most difficult and dangerous route” to take. 

“You never dig a down shaft on top of a chamber, you would normally dig at least about 10 feet away from the actual shaft when you knew accurately where it was,” he said. 

“Imagine standing on a sheet of ice and then suddenly the ice sheet goes through. That’s what it’s like. You could trigger a collapse at any time.”

The protesters have been living in a network of tunnels under the small park next to Euston station for more than three weeks in a bid to withstand the construction of HS2. 

They claim the park will be built over as a temporary taxi rank to support the building of the new station before being sold off to developers. 

The teenage son of “Swampy,” a veteran environmental activist, left the tunnel today after 22 days underground. 

Rory Hooper, 16, was youngest of the group and the fourth to have left the tunnel since the eviction began. 

He said: “Young people like me have to take action to stop the ecocide being committed by projects like HS2 because we’re in an ecological emergency and our future is at stake. 

“Digging a tunnel may seem extreme, but maybe it is the only way.”

The Morning Star understands there are still at least three protesters underground, but fears for their safety are growing. 

In a video message today, one of the protesters in the tunnel, Larch Maxey, said he was “terrified.” 

“They’re taking huge risks with our lives, digging down above us, risking collapse,” he said. 

Mr Faulding says that the bailiffs were not following the usual protocol of removing protesters from confined spaces.  

“If they carry on the way they are, somebody will die on one of these operations,” he said. “It’s got to be overseen.”

A spokesperson from HS2 Ltd said that safety of those involved in the eviction and protesters was of “paramount importance.”

“We continue to do all we can to end this illegal action safely, and we reiterate our message to those underground to comply with the court order and exit the tunnel immediately - for their own safety and that of the HS2 staff, agents and emergency service personnel involved in this operation.”

Protesters allege that bailiffs have been standing on the roof of the tunnel above their “living chamber,” which Mr Faulding claims could have “killed them quite easily - they could have brought the weight of the tunnel down on them.”

Mr Faulding was part of the specialist team who removed Swampy from his protest tunnel in the 1990s, and has been giving safety advice to a legal team representing the anti-HS2 protesters.

HS2 Rebellion is calling for the police and emergency services to intervene in the ongoing eviction.

The Euston tunnel is part of a series of actions by environmental protesters to stop the HS2 rail project which they claim puts 108 ancient woodlands, 693 wildlife sites and five internationally important wildlife sites under threat.