ANTI HS2 messages appeared in lights on key London landmarks this week as the first piece of legislation for the controversial project went through the House of Commons.

The HS2 Hybrid Bill - which will show in greater detail the impact the plans will have on affected areas, including the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - went before Parliament on Monday for its First Reading.

The procedural hearing, which did not allow the opportunity for debate, also saw the launch of the project's Environmental Statement - which will run to around 50,000 pages.

Campaigners used the opportunity to highlight their opposition to the scheme by using spotlights to put anti HS2 messages up around London.

Messages included 'HS2 - A Bad Idea For Britain' and 'A Gravy Train for Vested Interests' and the lights went up at City Hall, the Houses of Parliament and the Department for Transport's offices.

Campaigners dressed in otter costumes also descended on the capital on Monday for the First Reading to highlight the fact a sanctuary for the creatures will be destroyed to make way for the line.

People opposed to the scheme came from Yorkshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire as well as Bucks to meet MPs and Lords ahead of the First Reading.

A Second Reading is expected to take place next Easter after a consultation on the Environmental Statement has been completed. If the Bill progresses past that stage, it would enable the building of the first phase of HS2 between London and Birmingham at a current estimated cost of £42.6 billion.

Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan, who met with campaigners in Westminster on Monday, again called for the government to scrap HS2 following the hearing.

She said: "This Bill has been a long time coming, especially for those who have spent four years fighting the project. However, this is not the end, merely the beginning of the next step in the fight to stop HS2 and have government consider the alternatives."

Referring to the 50,000 page Environmental Statement the former Welsh Secretary added: "This is too much information to ask the public to consider and respond to in such a short period of time, particularly over Christmas. I have asked Ministers to extend this consultation period to at least twelve weeks and have raised it on the floor of the House of Commons.

"If the government is pressing ahead with HS2 then not only must it fully protect the environment, it must also sort out the compensation schemes to pay people whose lives and properties are being destroyed. Even after all this time the government is still only in the consultation phase on compensation."

More details emerged this week of work which will take place in Bucks.

A Public Notice issued by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin shows the River Colne will be diverted near Denham and a tunnel through the Chilterns AONB will emerge from a tunnel just before the area of ancient woodland at Mantle's Wood near Amersham.

Work is also likely to seriously disrupt road traffic on major routes through the county, including the A413 to the west of Amersham and the B485 and Frith Hill in Great Missenden - which links to Chesham and some of the more rural villages in the Chilterns such as South Heath and Ballinger.

There will also be a realignment of the B485 with a new roundabout junction at Kings Lane, which links to South Heath.