Workers prepare the moulds for the concrete tunnel headwall in one of the two pre-cast factories built at the HS2 construction site in Chiltern, Buckinghamshire, ahead of tunnelling to start in 2021
ANTI-HS2 activists have built a 30-foot high tower in the River Colne to block contractors from constructing a bridge.
The campaigners say the action is to highlight the “needless and brutal destruction” of Denham Country Park nature reserve in Uxbridge, West London.
HS2 contractors have been felling trees in the reserve since June to clear the path for a road to relocate power lines.
Millions of elms were wiped out by Dutch elm disease in the 20th century, transforming the landscape forever – yet pockets of hope are keeping this beloved tree alive. MARK SEDDON explains
![A radar [Pic: Stephan Widua / Creative Commons]](https://msd11.gn.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2026-07/stephan-widua-3YAIvBNlZM4-unsplash.jpg.webp?itok=nj75bMcw)
The HS2 debacle exposes what happens when public infrastructure is handed to private contractors – especially when set against China’s state-led high-speed rail success, says CARLOS MARTINEZ
One of the major criticisms of China’s breakneck development in recent decades has been the impact on nature — returning after 15 years away, BEN CHACKO assessed whether the government’s recent turn to environmentalism has yielded results