M11 protestors storm Highways Agency HQ

M11 roads protestors confronted Highways Agency chief Lawrie Haynes in his own office this week, after invading the Highways Agency's headquarters in London.

Twenty protestors stormed the building and scattered through the Agency offices in search of Haynes.

The protestors, representing the 'No M11 Campaign' and 'Road Alert!', were in the building for more than two hours before police managed to evict them. No arrests were made.

The protesters had broken away from a group of 35 activists protesting outside the offices of the British Roads Federation after a heavy police presence there prevented them gaining entrance.

'The BRF is an organisation representing powerful vested interests. It is interesting that it is able to summon such an over-the-top police presence for a small, peaceful group.

'Our action at the Highways Agency showed we will not be deterred from taking our case to the core mechanisms responsible for destructive roadbuilding. It is our responsibility to do so,' said a spokesperson for the campaigners.

Both the BRF and the Highways Agency said this week that they would consider any formal request from protestors for a meeting.

The demonstrations confirm that the road protestors are maintaining their campaign to halt road construction despite December's cuts in the programme. Contractors were hoping that the opposition may be tempered by the reduction in road spend.

But protestors are actually upping their actions to the horror of the increasingly frustrated contractors who feel they have so far been reasonable with the environmentalists but are now losing their patience.

Leading contractors are starting to consider pushing ahead with work on sensitive sites despite the protests.