The final anti-HS2 activist from a group who had spent at least a month underground in a network of tunnels has been removed.

As the man, known as Bradley, emerged from the site under London’s Euston Square Gardens and was transferred to an ambulance, he raised two fingers in a peace/victory sign.

A crowd gathered nearby cheered and shouted “we love you Bradley”.

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The network of tunnels near the London station was dug in secret by protesters objecting to the redevelopment of the area as part of the high-speed railway line.

They were first discovered in their underground bunker on 26 January.

But on Friday, HS2 Limited, the government-owned company building the project, said the final person had been taken out of the site.

A total of nine protesters have been removed.

Dr Larch Maxey, who spent 27 days underground, said: “We’ve helped to shift awareness of the climate and ecological emergency, really taken things to a new level and also awareness of HS2 and its role in accelerating that.”

Dr Maxey added that Bradley, would feel “very proud, I should think, and relieved and grateful for being back up top”.

HS2 Limited said in a statement: “HS2 staff, our agents and the emergency service personnel have acted with safety as their utmost priority, risking their own lives in order to ensure the wellbeing of those who placed themselves in such a dangerous situation underground.”

The firm insisted it “accepts the right to peaceful protest” but accused activists of putting “additional pressure” on the NHS and police and fire services during the coronavirus pandemic.

It also claimed its staff and agents were “subject to numerous incidences of violence and criminal activity during this operation, including alleged theft and assault”.

The statement added: “Instead of wasting public resources on illegal actions, we urge environmental organisations to support a project that will help cut the number of cars and lorries on our roads, cut demand for domestic flights and help the country’s fight against climate change.”

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