In pictures: The Blackwood road protest

1 of 18 A bailiff, known as a sheriff's officer, assesses the scene of the protest, at St David's Wood, in Blackwood , south Wales, where eco-protestors have been camped for up to eight weeks

2 of 18 A teenage girl is led away after being brought down from a tree

3 of 18 The scene at the stand-off in the dingle. The protesters have slung a cargo net between the trees and refuse demands to come down

4 of 18 Much of the time is taken up with waiting as the bailiffs - who have to work within health and safety rules - decide the best way to bring the group down

5 of 18 One of the protesters, known as Dai, has dug a tunnel into the bank

6 of 18 An ancient beech tree begins the day as a landmark on the horizon

7 of 18 This is how the tree finished the day

8 of 18 The site of the fallen beech tree. Blackwood can be seen across the Sirhowy valley

9 of 18 Not all of the protesters spent their days in the tree tops

10 of 18 A protester called Nick waits his turn to be brought down

11 of 18 Gwent Under Sheriff David Bowen makes one last formal appeal for the protesters to come down from the trees

12 of 18 The bailiffs swing their net under that of the protesters and prepare to end the stand-off by jumping into the protesters' net and cutting the ropes

13 of 18 Protesters struggle to retain control of their cargo net

14 of 18 The protesters' camp includes a tent with a stove and makeshift chimney

15 of 18 "Dai" the tunnel-digging protester is led away

16 of 18 The mud and damp is clear on "Dai's" clothes as he is led away from the disputed dingle

17 of 18 John and Annak See-Evans watch the day's events from the window of their home, just yards away

18 of 18 Irene Jones, mother of Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire cries as a tree falls victim to a chainsaw