Footage has emerged of an anti-HS2 campaigner climbing on heavy machinery during a protest in woodland near Lichfield.
The Stop HS2 Staffordshire group were at Black Slough wood earlier this week.
The area is being cleared to make way for the high speed rail route.
But the protester said his “moral conscience” led him to climb aboard the machine which then began to swing with him on board.
“I watched as this huge machine wrapped its claws around the lungs of mother nature and snapped them in half, devouring dozens of trees in mere minutes.
“All I could feel was my moral conscience telling me to do something, anything, to prevent this from going any further.
“The machine was stationary at the time and before I knew it I was running towards it and climbing.”
Stop HS2 Staffordshire protester
The protester eventually clambered further onto the machinery where he remained for a number of hours until police arrived.
The protester added:
“I look back at this and I do wonder how I was able to do this physically, but also how I couldn’t not do this as it is the most horrible machine attacking mother nature in the midst of a climate emergency.”
Stop HS2 Staffordshire protester