Newbury

The most significant change from the last update is that English Nature has recommended that parts of the route in the Kennet and Lambourne Valleys should be designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) in order to protect the habitat of the Desmoulin’s Whorl Snail. This means that the whole road must be reassessed and could lead to permission for the existing route to be withdrawn. If the Department of Transport go ahead and ignore the recommendations they would face court action from various environmental organisations. It could be that the Tory slugs are defeated by a 3mm snail and the bypass cancelled! Little has changed in terms of work on the route since the last update. Fences are still rising and falling, pixies are still tunnelling and disrupting work overground. Numbers of security have been reduced to about fifty or sixty, and they are the worst that Reliance has to offer.

The phone, fax and junk mail blockade of the Highways Agency and Costain is continuing with vigour. Please keep it up even Costain admit that it is working and is annoying. Offices and building sites around the country are being hit by occupation squads, pickets and pixies. Please call for a list of sites and offices in your area. There are still the nine camps off route, please come down and visit this summer, we will need all the help we can get if the main contract work starts. You can telephone the 3rd Battle of Newbury on: 01635 45544 for general information or 01635 550552 for the 24 info line.

COSTAIN NOW CONFIRMED AS MAIN CONTRACTORS - YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.