Court rules to end pipeline vigil

Campaigners said their action was on-violent and peaceful

National Grid has won the right to immediately evict protesters who have occupied land where part of an extensive gas pipeline is being laid.

Protesters have been living in trees near Brecon since January to try to stop a section of the 190 mile (320km) pipe being built through woodland.

A High Court judge in Cardiff has now granted National Grid immediate possesion of the occupied land.

An injunction also forbids trespass and damage to machinery.

The protesters had told Judge Graham Jones their action was a non-violent peaceful expression of their rights, but they could now face arrest if the vigil continues.

Judge Jones also rejected claims the protesters had not had time to get proper legal representation.

I feel it's (the pipeline's) going to make a permanent scar over this area Sam, protester

When complete, the pipeline will run from Milford Haven to Gloucestershire and eventually supply up to 20% of the UK's gas needs.

The £840m project has faced a number of setbacks, including several protests against the first phase of the pipeline at Trebanos in the Swansea Valley.

Last month, five protesters who prevented work on the Trebanos site in January for about five hours pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass.

After the hearing, one of the protesters, Heather, said: "I am very disappointed. I am hoping that we can mount some kind of an appeal. But we always knew it was possible for that to happen.

Protesters climbed inside the pipe at Trebanos

"Some people will probably move, some people will stay 'til the bitter end."

And David Mercer from National Grid said: "The position is that they will be in breach of the court order unless they leave the land. I hope they will comply with the court order."

In the past, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority has expressed concern about the effect on the environment, and said it did not believe it was the right route for the pipeline.

But after months of consultation, National Grid said it had found the most suitable route and the land would be reinstated afterwards.

Announcing consent for phase two of the project in February, energy minister Lord Truscott said the potential impact of the pipeline on the beacons had been "uppermost" in his mind.

But he said "stringent conditions" on National Grid would enable it to deliver the project "on time but with the least possible environmental impact".