Archived press release

Tree dweller to challenge Newbury Bailiffs in High Court

27 February 1996

A Newbury tree-dweller will challenge the dangerous methods of the climbing bailiffs in the High Court today, in a bid to stop their participation in the eviction of the protest camps along the bypass route.

26-year old Ollie Rodker, from Manchester, is claiming that bailiffs are in breach of their duty of care towards protesters -

"Just because we're protesting doesn't suddenly mean that we have no human rights. It's an absolute miracle that no-one's been killed or seriously injured the way that these guys act when they're pulling people out of the trees."

In similar evictions, climbing bailiffs have been accused of cutting rope walkways with people on them, using Stanley Knives and chainsaws close to protesters and destroying property without permission. Rodker, himself a veteran' of tree-top evictions on the route of extensions to both the M65 in Lancashire (last year) and the M66 in Manchester (last week), has been in fear of his life because of the methods of the bailiffs.

"When you're 30 feet up and some bailiff is grabbing for you with one hand with a knife in the other - there's no way that can be called safe. "

The climbing bailiffs were slammed recently at a conference of Britain's climbers who called their activities "shameful", branding them "mercenaries and renegades".

The Third Battle of Newbury group support Rodker's case emphasising the need for safe practise all along the route of the proposed by-pass. Andrew Wood of the group said:

"They're acting like all legal requirements for health and safety have been chucked out of the window. There are members of the public present in a workplace and the security men and other contractors are acting like they don't exist. It's absurd and very dangerous and I worry for the safety of everyone on the site." ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS: [1] The national climbers convention was on the weekend of 17th Feb in LLandudno, tel/fax 01286 871763/870047, ask for Jim Perrin.

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