Two women charged with aggravated trespass were today acquitted by the District Judge at Aylesbury Magistrates court. Victoria Harvey and Rebecca Lush, accused of preventing work by chaining themselves to a digger in Linslade, had pleaded not guilty and were planning to produce evidence from the country's foremost bat expert to demonstrate that their actions had prevented Bucks CC and its contractors from performing criminal actions on 19th January.

The council's contractors had been due to start work clearing hedgerows and felling trees, to prepare for the controversial Linslade and Stoke Hammond bypass, but were delayed for several weeks following the arrest of Ms Harvey and Ms Lush.

Amazing incompetence by the prosecution, however, led to their acquittal after police and video evidence failed to show that an offence had been committed. Costs, for a case scheduled to last two days, were awarded to Ms Harvey and Ms Lush.

Victoria Harvey of South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth, said:

"We are furious that we have been robbed of our opportunity to expose how Bucks County Council have rode roughshod over the wildlife laws. We had all the evidence to prove that Bucks County Council had given the merest nod towards obeying the laws.

"We knew the council was not complying with wildlife laws, but could do nothing about it. The direct action we took was the only way we could actually stop what was happening."