Contractors working for the Highways Agency were today prevented from starting clearance work on the route of the proposed Newbury Bypass because protesters stopped security workers from leaving their overnight base.

Andrew Wood, of Newbury Friends of the Earth, said:

"Disaster has been averted for one more day. Two people perched on tripods made from scaffold poles stopped work. This really shows the value of the individual in this campaign. Indeed, security guards appalled by their pay and conditions and the madness of this scheme are leaving in droves. Let's start the real work today by cutting the traffic and not the trees."

He continued

"If just two people and a lot of imagination can have this effect, just think what thousands will do if the Highways Agency persists with its plans. This is just the beginning of the protest action against the road and we are very pleased with the results."

Tony Juniper, Deputy Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said:

"The protesters have granted the Government one more day to change its mind about this road. The decision to go ahead with this monstrous project must be reversed before any more public money is wasted. It is not too late to stop it."

Local people campaigning to prevent the construction of the bypass have reacted with surprise to claims made today by bypass supporters that the scheme enjoys overwhelming local support. No systematic opinion surveys have been carried out on the level of local support for the road whilst a survey of local businesses carried out in the Newbury area shows overwhelming support from the business community for alternative transport options to be tried before the road is built.