Chris Packham begins legal case to halt HS2 amid coronavirus crisis

Rail contractors accused of using pandemic as cover to hasten ancient woodland destruction

Chris Packham is seeking an urgent injunction to immediately halt HS2's destruction of ancient woodlands as campaigners criticise construction teams for allegedly ignoring the government's physical distancing rules for coronavirus and endangering local people.

The naturalist and broadcaster's 100,000 crowd-funded legal challenge includes requesting a judicial review of the government's decision-making behind the 106bn high-speed railway and an interim injunction to stop "enabling" works scheduled to destroy swaths of five ancient woodland areas in April.