Stonehenge road tunnel go-ahead unlawful, high court told

Judicial review hears Grant Shapps did not properly consider damage to ancient sites and artefacts

The transport secretary's decision to allow a road tunnel to be built near Stonehenge was unlawful because it did not properly consider damage that would be done to a string of prehistoric sites and many thousands of ancient artefacts, the high court has been told.

Campaigners including archaeologists, environmental groups and the druids who regard the great Wiltshire stone circle as a sacred site have launched a judicial review calling for the decision by Grant Shapps to allow the 1.7bn road scheme, including the two-mile tunnel, to be quashed.