Skip to content or view screen version

Mainshill Update - increase in police surveillance

danger Mouse | 21.08.2009 18:09 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Health

The Mainshill Solidarity Camp was set up in June to stop an open cast coal mine from being built next to the village of Douglass in South Lanarkshire. Two weeks ago it hosted the Camp for Climate Action Scotland. The camp has treehouses, towers and tunnels all built to resist eviction.

Since the end of Climate Camp Scotland we've been sorting out left over tat and continuing building defences. This week we have had an increase in Police surveillance with early morning visits on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Both times two police officers walked around the site taking video footage of defences.

On Tuesday it was Cheif Inspector Murphy who came onto site. He said he had no knowledge of any eviction team being involved, and had no idea when an eviction may be. He said they were only taking video footage so that officers would remain safe if they were on site during any attempted eviction. On Thursday however, one officer went as far as assaulting a resident in order to illegally enter a dwelling.

On Wednesday morning a police helicopter hovered over the site briefly, probably a head count of people on the site.

Lord Home, the land owner, has been granted an eviction order and so an eviction could in theory happen at any time. We need more people at the camp to help with defences and be there if an eviction happens.

Support from locals is still massive, with food (including an indian take-away for all the residents one night) being dropped off regularly. Local people have campaigned tirelessly against this mine and have bene ignored by the planning process. It is only just now coming to light the extent to which coal mines affect people health, with information availble at  http://coalhealthstudy.org/

If you have spare time and want to help resist this open cast please get down to Lanarkshire and get involved.

For more information visit the website or phone the site phone on 07806926040.

danger Mouse
- Homepage: http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk