BAILIFFS tasked with evicting eco-warriors from a planned

coal mine site believe the protesters are hidden in a labyrinth

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   eco-warrior: A protester at Prospect Farm with police. Three people have been arrested, while a further three left the site voluntarily. People are protesting against UK Coal's plan to opencast the area

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   BATTLE LINES: From left, campaigners from the Leave It In The Ground group put up a banner at the empty farmhouse; police officers capture the goings-on with a camera; and workers dig out the protesters' defences in a bid to make them leave the area

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of underground tunnels.

UK Coal revealed for the first time yesterday that members

of environmental group Leave It In The Ground may have dug four

tunnels directly underneath a derelict farmhouse.

The protesters have been occupying the building at Prospect

Farm, in Bell Lane, Smalley, for almost two months in the hope

of making it impossible for UK Coal to begin opencast mining at

the 334-acre site this autumn.

Bailiffs from the National Eviction Team arrived yesterday,

leading to the arrest of three protesters. Three more left

voluntarily.

A spokesman for UK Coal said: "We believe up to eight people

remain in the house, four of whom could be in a labyrinth of

tunnels underneath the house, according to information we

have.

"These people are not going to come out voluntarily, so the

priority is to get them out safely without any injury to them

or members of the eviction team.

"We're telling them what's happening and urging them to

leave voluntarily but those that remain appear quite

stubborn.

"We've got just over 20 experts from the National Eviction

Team, who worked on the site until 6pm last night.

"Only when they get into the tunnels will they be able to do

what needs to be done."

The bailiffs went to the site at 7.30am yesterday, nearly

three weeks after UK Coal was granted permission by Derby

County Court to evict the group.

As well as the arrests, the bailiffs removed several tree

houses, built by the protesters close to the property.

The eviction of the remaining protestors is expected to take

several days.

Chief Inspector Graham McLoughlin, who was responsible for

the 24-hour policing of the site, said: "It's been fairly

well-humoured and there's been good banter between the

protesters and us. We've been making sure they get food and

drink."

Andy Green, a spokesman for Leave It In The Ground, said:

"We've built an extensive tunnel network and have

tree-structures and suspended cargo nets.

"As bailiffs and police arrived on site, people were chained

to barricades defending strategic parts of the property."

UK Coal has Government clearance to mine for four-and-a-half

years from this autumn, despite Derbyshire County Council

having refused to grant planning permission.

One of the protesters, who left voluntarily and identified

himself only as Ben, said: "We need to find an alternative to

coal and time for action is long overdue because climate change

has already started happening."

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