Swampy's son, 16, claims his 'really proud' mother is 'worried' but 'knows he's safe with his eco-warrior father' in tunnels beneath Euston Square Gardens amid concern they could collapse

  • High Speed 2 protesters have constructed tunnels under Euston Square Gardens
  • Veteran eco-warrior Dan 'Swampy' Hooper, is one of five people below ground
  • Swampy has been branded 'reckless' for bringing his son Rory, 16, to the tunnel  
  • The teenager is living inside the tunnel with his father, who said he helped dig it  

The 16-year-old son of veteran eco activist Swampy, who is holed up with his father in tunnels under Euston, said his mother was 'really proud', but 'worried'.

Rory Hooper said being in the cramped burrows protesting against HS2 was 'more fun than he thought'.

And he revealed he was in daily contact with his mother back in their Tipi Valley home in Wales and claimed she knew 'He was safe with Dad'.

Swampy - real name Daniel Hooper - had come under fire for allowing him to be in the tunnels, which have suffered a number of collapses.

Both father and son helped build the underground structures in protest over the HS2 £98billion high speed railway and its financial and environmental costs.

Rory said: 'Mum is really proud. She tells me on the phone and I can feel it. She likes me to ring her every day. I know she worries about me but also she knows that I am safe with Dad.

'It’s more fun than I thought. I actually love it underground. It’s really peaceful. 

Dan 'Swampy' Hooper has been criticised as 'reckless and irresponsible,' for allowing his son 16-year-old son Rory (pictured) to stay in tunnels at the Euston Square Gardens HS2 protest

Dan 'Swampy' Hooper has been criticised as 'reckless and irresponsible,' for allowing his son 16-year-old son Rory (pictured) to stay in tunnels at the Euston Square Gardens HS2 protest 

Swampy says he 'couldn't be prouder,' of his son (pictured together), but admits he was cautious about Rory staying in the tunnel at first

Swampy says he 'couldn't be prouder,' of his son (pictured together), but admits he was cautious about Rory staying in the tunnel at first 

Enforcement officers continue efforts to remove protesters from underground tunnels

Enforcement officers continue efforts to remove protesters from underground tunnels

HS2 Rebellion encampment in Euston Square Gardens in central London earlier today

HS2 Rebellion encampment in Euston Square Gardens in central London earlier today

Enforcement officers have teamed up with baillifs to try and get the protesters out

Enforcement officers have teamed up with baillifs to try and get the protesters out

'I’ve always been aware of what Dad did years ago, before I was born. But it’s only since visiting HS2 sites with him this summer and seeing the beautiful ancient woodland they’re destroying that I’ve properly understood what it is to feel so passionate about trying to stop it,' he added to the Guardian.

Swampy, who has been known for using tunnels as a form of protest since the 1990s, has faced criticism for allowing his son Rory, 16, to join the underground protest - amid concern the tunnels could collapse.

Pro-HS2 MP Andrew Mitchell told The Sun: 'Swampy's son should be studying as best he can for his next exam, not down the end of a dangerous tunnel. 

'His father is being reckless and irresponsible.'

A rescue expert had warned that heavy rain and sleet could cause tunnels beneath Euston in London to collapse and endanger HS2 activists living in the underground passages.  

Swampy has spoken about his son joining the protest, adding: 'To begin with, I didn't want Rory to be in the tunnel for the eviction, but he was absolutely adamant that he would stay down there with me for it.

The protesters are campaigning against the £98billion HS2 railway line and its huge cost

The protesters are campaigning against the £98billion HS2 railway line and its huge cost

Piles of rubbish were left after the destruction of the HS2-protesting camp continued

Piles of rubbish were left after the destruction of the HS2-protesting camp continued

Bailiffs and enforcement officers had yesterday begun the process of clearing away the site

Bailiffs and enforcement officers had yesterday begun the process of clearing away the site

Cherry pickers arrived at the London gardens on Saturday to dismantle structures protesters had set up inside trees as part of the demonstration

Cherry pickers arrived at the London gardens on Saturday to dismantle structures protesters had set up inside trees as part of the demonstration

'He did help dig it and it is his future at stake, and that of other young people like him, so I couldn't really argue. He reminds me of what I was like at his age and I just couldn't be prouder of him.

The HS2 Rebellion group are protesting at Euston Square Gardens as they believe the small green space will be levelled to make way for a temporary taxi rank before being sold to developers. 

As well as staying in tunnels, other campaigners were using trees to protest, although cherry pickers arrived at the weekend to dismantle the structures.

The group now says eviction teams are digging above their heads, and protesters were kept awake all night to 'coax us out of the hole', the BBC reports.  

Demonstrators have not said how many are underground, but they are confident they can keep the protest going for a few more days.  

One demonstrator said: 'All night we've had rocks falling down onto our head through the gaps.

'They've kept us awake all night for hours and hours and hours to keep us awake and try and coax us out of the hole.

'All of the dirt is still coming down in my sleeves. It's not the most pleasant of experiences, it's pretty nasty to be fair.'

Some of the protesters outside the tunnels have been arrested.  

The eviction team has taken off the roof from the structure protecting the front of the tunnel.

 

Who are the original Euston Five? Swampy's band of burrowers include wealthy Laird’s teenage eco-warrior children, geography lecturer, 48, and ex-drug runner who escaped from open prison

The gang of at least five activists who have halted the £98billion HS2 project with a series of secret tunnels include a geography teacher and an ex-drug runner prison fugitive. 

Their efforts have so far infuriated bailiffs trying to remove them from underneath gardens near Euston Station.

And coming from such a wide spectrum of backgrounds, each bring a different set of skills to the protest.

But the authorities warned last night they could be putting their own lives at risk if they did not crawl out of the tunnels.

The National Eviction Team said: 'The unlawful activists appear to have put themselves in danger of a further tunnel collapse, and potentially of intercepting nearby gas and water pipes, leading to risks of suffocation, flooding and drowning.'

 Here MailOnline takes a closer look at the five behind the tunnels: 

Environmentalist Daniel "Swampy" Hooper seen at the tunnel entrance at Euston

Environmentalist Daniel "Swampy" Hooper seen at the tunnel entrance at Euston

Swampy in his heyday in the 1990s when he would build tunnels to support his protests

Swampy in his heyday in the 1990s when he would build tunnels to support his protests

Professional protester: Daniel Hooper, 48, AKA Swampy

Swampy, whose real name is Daniel Marc Hooper, became a household name in the 1990s during a variety of environmental protests.

He is best known for spending a week in a complex series of tunnels dug in the path of the expansion of the A30 road in Fairmile, Devon in 1996.

Resisting attempts at eviction by police, Swampy was eventually removed from the network of man-made tunnels.

In 1997, Swampy took part in another tunnel protest against the building of a second runway at Manchester Airport, and has also been involved with the Trident nuclear submarine protest camp at Faslane, Scotland.

In 2019, Swampy took part in an Extinction Rebellion protest by attaching himself to a concrete block at the entrance to the Valero Energy fuel refinery in Pembrokeshire.

Last October, he was arrested at Jones Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire, having occupied a treehouse to prevent trees being chopped down on the route of HS2.

Dr Maxey has sent a video from inside the secret tunnels talking about the bailiffs' efforts

Dr Maxey has sent a video from inside the secret tunnels talking about the bailiffs' efforts

Dr Maxey protest against trees from being cut down to make way for a housing development

Dr Maxey protest against trees from being cut down to make way for a housing development

Geography teacher: Dr Larch Maxey, 48

Dr Larch Maxey is an Extinction Rebellion activist who was a full-time volunteer for the radical group in 2019 and helped organise hunger strike occupations that year.

In an interview with the Guardian, the long-time climate activist said he had a PhD in sustainability and was a geography lecturer and post-doctoral researcher for 17 years.

However, he said he had no income and described himself as a 'relaxed freegan' - someone who only eats food that would be going to waste.

The Bristol-based activist has said: 'I work about 14 hours, six days a week with Extinction Rebellion. My role involves helping develop and implement our strategy and ideas for actions, and linking up with international groups.

'This is my life’s purpose, and I couldn’t be happier and more fulfilled. I’m happy to spend every waking moment bringing this change about.'

Breen - known as Scotty and Digger Down - was seen inside the HS2 tunnel last night

Breen - known as Scotty and Digger Down - was seen inside the HS2 tunnel last night

Iain Oliver, Scott Breen and Mark Keir pictured together outside Uxbridge Magistrates' Court

Iain Oliver, Scott Breen and Mark Keir pictured together outside Uxbridge Magistrates' Court

Reformed drugs runner: Scott Breen, 47, AKA Digger Down

Scotty Breen had been sent to prison for his role in a courier in a heroin deal but absconded in 2007.

He moved in with his girlfriend at Faslane peace camp, getting her pregnant, but was caught after six months on the run.

Little is known about his background, but has moved in political circles and was pictured once with former Green Party candidate Mark Keir.

Since his brush with law he has turned his life around and become a key part of the Extinction Rebellion movement.

He and Keir protested against HS2 back in 2019 locking themselves together with a concrete tube blocking a Hillingdon site.

Lazer, believed to be 20, has filmed video from the tunnel as he protests against HS2

Lazer, believed to be 20, has filmed video from the tunnel as he protests against HS2

Lazer is understood to be Lachlan Blaze Sandford, brother of another protester Blue Sandford

Lazer is understood to be Lachlan Blaze Sandford, brother of another protester Blue Sandford

Juggler: Understood to be called Lachlan Blaze Sandford, 20, AKA Lazer

Lazer is believed to be the brother of Blue Sandford and from the super-wealthy Sandford family.

He is pictured in images alongside his Laird father Roc Sandford, who refers to him as 'his kids' in a video of their actions at a precious Extinction Rebellion protest.

He is filmed juggling on a number of occasions on a sparse social media presence but is frequently seen alongside Blue and her sister.

Lazer is understood to have take part in the Jones Hill Wood sitting protests back in March 2020.

He said from the tunnel today of the bailiffs: 'They have kept us constantly awake via loud noises once they have been dropping dirt on us continuously so we haven’t had a chance to sleep.'

Blue Sandford, 18, had stayed in the tunnels overnight and gave interviews on the protest

Blue Sandford, 18, had stayed in the tunnels overnight and gave interviews on the protest

Ms Sandford was dubbed Britain's Greta Thunberg and said she wanted to rewild London

Ms Sandford was dubbed Britain's Greta Thunberg and said she wanted to rewild London

Writer: Blue Sandford, 18, AKA The British Greta Thunberg

The teenager last year brought out her 'manifesto' called Challenge Everything: An Extinction Rebellion Youth guide to saving the planet.

And she revealed in an interview promoting the book she had been arrested in September as part of the controversial protest group's fortnight of action in London.

She said she spent the start of her 17th birthday in a custody cell and a month later was  charged with obstruction of the highway. It is not clear what happened with the case. 

Ms Sandford, whose real name is Isla, was dubbed Britain's Greta Thunberg by The Times after doing an interview with them, but later told euronews she did not appreciate the comparison. 

In the same chat she said she wanted to 'rewilding cities like London' and advocated 'guerrilla gardening' to make wild spaces. 

 The family live part time on the island of Gometra in the Inner Hebrides.  

Their aristocratic father gave both Lachlan and Isla presents made from rubbish at Christmas.   

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