Anti-HS2 activists have built a a 30 foot high ‘Beacon of Truth’ bamboo protest tower in the middle of a river in Denham Country Park.

Environmental activist Dan Hooper, also known as Swampy, is up in the tower, built in the middle of the River Colne in a bid to stop HS2 contractors from building a temporary bridge.

Other peaceful protesters are gathered around the bottom of the tower.

Dan (Swampy) said: “We are blocking this bridge from crossing the river as they cannot fell the ancient oaks on the other side without it.

"HS2 is causing devastation throughout the land and is wasting over £200 billion of public money. We are living in times of climate emergency and we will not stand for it.”

The bridge, scheduled to be put across the river today, is to connect a temporary haul road which has been constructed on one side of the chalk stream to the other side, where activists have set up a protection camp to "halt work, monitor and report wildlife crimes".

Campaigners say the "needless destruction of irreplaceable habitat" is happening more than a mile away from where the HS2 rail line will be built and is "totally avoidable".