Extracts from the article:

Paul and another 50-odd eco-warriors are opposing plans by leaseholders Stancliffe Stone to reopen Lees Cross and Endcliffe quarries near Stanton-in-Peak outside Bakewell.

He said: "I have lived in some of the most beautiful places in the country and seen them reduced to holes in the ground, I'm determined that won't happen here.

"I don't think the quarry company fully understands the terrain, and the police aren't going to pull us out of the trees, this is a private issue and the company will have to bear the costs.

"If an eviction started significant numbers of people would come and many would get through. Our resolve never weakens, there's a reason why I'm here and it's because this place should not be destroyed."

The woods ring to the sound of hammering as the community builds its defences. It has also stepped up its watchfulness, gatherings of the entire group rarely occur for fear they will be ambushed and arrested.

Tension rose after Stancliffe Stone obtained a High Court possession order as a first step in evicting the protesters.

Work may start any day after April 2, the deadline for the Peak National Park Authority to announce what the operating conditions will be.

But there may be one last chance to avert a battle for the tunnels and trees.

The Peak National Park Authority is dead against the quarries being worked again and intends to offer Stancliffe Stone an alternative - permission to extend operations at Dale View quarry half-a-mile from the disputed site. The offer will be made at a meeting in less than two weeks.

If a deal is struck it would mean a stunning victory for the eco-warriors who have guarded the site for more than four years.

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