After a night of being battered by force 6 winds and drenched by rain around twenty folk were still up the trees this morning.

SchNEWS spoke to one of those still up the trees - “They've taken their time. They sent bailiffs up at 10 this morning to check out the tree houses. They evicted the lowest ones almost straightaway although they've had real trouble with the lock ons. Then they started on the nets. Most people have been taken away rather than arrested. There's around half a dozen of us left in the highest tree-house”

Dozens have gathered around the fenced off cordon and some have made it inBailiffs and security have refused to allow food and water into the cordon in an effort to starve the tree-sitters out. As yet no trees have been felled.

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The forceable eviction of activists resisting the building of the Bexhill bypass at Camp Decoy began just before nine this morning (28th Jan).

Around forty folk had braved the cold to wait overnight for the eviction, split roughly half and half between those on the ground and in the trees. Bailiffs broke through the harris fencing at first then dropped bridges across the stream in front of the camp.

Approximately seventy bailiffs and security crossed the bridges, together with around twenty cops. They offered a get-out clause to those prepared to leave immediatley and then started to tackle those locked on at ground level. It was midday before the first protestor was unlocked and marched off. In fact it took them the rest of the day to clear the ground of the five lock ons and tunnels. It wasn't until 4.30 and twilight that the contractors were able to begin brush-cutting around the base of the trees.

There were two arrests – one of somebody up a tripod and another for repeatedly re-entering the cordoned off zone.

At the time of writing around twenty people are still occupying the tree-houses and walkways. There was an eviction climbing team on site all day but they didn't even get their ropes out.

SchNEWS has been informed that the fence around the site has various weak points and that security guards “are fat and unfit”. Combe Haven Defenders reckon that anyone determined enough could easily make it to the trees.

SchNEWS spoke to Pablo, one of the last few desperadoes still hanging tough among the branches “We're expecting them to come up into the trees tomorrow. We're going to hang on as long as possible. The more people here the better - the more chaos and confusion the better”

There are free lifts going tomorrow from Brighton, if anyone is interested please call 07766 335 506. Don't forget to dress up in warm waterproof clothes and bring provisions.

For more see Combe Haven Defenders