Npower uses Thugs to Evict Radley Lakes Environmental Activists

hello, feeling sad to not be there and proud of people who were. Thank you. But was just wondering, why no legal action? Is it lack of funds?

You should Notify the Health and Safety Executive of the eviction and the manner it was carried out anyway:

 http://www.hse.gov.uk/

You should do this as they should be given the opportunity to consider if there was any grounds for their own involvement. It is not up to you to determine the activities of the HSE, but you can help them to do their job. Their Job is investigating and determining what to do about hazards. The photographed behaviour seems to constitute a hazard at height.

Hazards experienced due to untrained persons operating at height without training lead to deaths - and the pictures clearly show some unsafe practices. If they did operate at height with training then the Security firm should be able to provide details in order that they can remove any doubt that their employees were endangered. You might not like the idea of looking after the welfare of rentacops but, should any rentacop have injured themselves they have a right to be compensated and for their employer to be prosecuted. In the face of evidence of dangerous practices, they need to reassure people that they are not recklessly endangering employees - either permanent or temporary. Flinging barrels about can result in extreme, cronic and acute back pain - quite apart from the danger to others.

It is not strictly for private individuals to bring Health and Safety Prosecutions - but the more photographic evidence that can be presented to the HSE the better. If NPower engaged the Subcontractor then they may have conspired to break the law if they knowingly engaged Security Persons to carry out these acts. Even if they did not know the details - ignorance being no defence - they were controlling influences as they offered a financial inducement to reckless and hazardous behaviour. Even if you have no financial resource to prosecute, you have the opportunity and obligation to inform those who do.

The HSE - once made aware of the hazardous practices - will need to investigate even if only to dismiss the idea of prosecution. This helps to build you own case - as you can always say that NPower is being investigated by the HSE and it will be true.

...we're taking legal action. Good, the almost limitless disregard for anyone who would contemplate breaking the law is in disgustingly rude health. How long will it take for everyone to realise, we are all potential targets, if only we try hard enough?

Perhaps the general public would take you more seriously if you checked your spelling and grammar before posting such sensational stories on the web.

is a massive investigation on on rogue security and organised crime on-going in Liverpool.I suggest you give them names.

don't be so bombastic.

you call it a "sensational story", doubting the truth of it, and your evidence for this (apart from your unstated prejudices) is poor grammar. Jen I don't know why you come here if you only believe what you read in corporate newspapers! And I'd like to see your grammar after that kind of scary experience - I'm sure the ex-occupants thank you for your empathy & solidarity! And Sconce, I'm sure the baliffs didn't leave their names and addresses! That's not really how these things work...even if you've not been in such a situation, try thinking about it for a minute - if that doesn't work, get involved in your local campaign and you might understand.

The baliffs have done this kind of thing before - though I don't know where. They talk about 'eco-warriors' on their website in various places including  http://www.shercurity.net/trespasser.html

SHERCURITY

Main Telephone number
+44 (0)845 890 9220
Fax: +44 (0)0845 890 9221
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Company Offices
Shergroup House
Braintree Freeport
No 3 Freeport Office Village,
Century Drive,
Braintree
Essex
CM77 8YG

London: 20-21 Tooks Court, London EC4A 1LB
 
 enquiries@shercurity.net

If you contact the HSE you might want to refer to the Work At Height Regulations 2005 as nobody in a work situation is exempt and the picture of those men on the tower would certainly show infringement of legislation!

In response to some of the comments on the recent article, I was present in the house at the time of the eviction and can verify the details of the story - sensational or otherwise. There were a number of lives put at risk, in the tower, the bunker and loft as described, as well as the risk of injury caused by the shattering of a plate glass window, covering a number of people, myself included. In addition, a number of legal errors were committed - such as failure to provide adequate identification and the way that various members of the household were "processed" by police. Thank you to those who suggested legal action, investigation into the company concerned and the HSE - these routes are being pursued.

(As for those who equate the validity of comments and opinion with spelling, here's a little quiz.... which of the following is correct: A: Irrelevant B: Irrelavent or C: Irelevant? Sorry to add to the sarcasm!)

The ferocity of the eviction meant that the occupation was not able to continue as long as we had hoped. However, it was successful, in that work on the lakes that was due to commence in early January has not started. These weeks have allowed the local people time to file a Town Green Application and an injunciton preventing work until a decision is reached on this. Also, NPower have during this time been instructed that they cannot start work until further ecological surveys are carried out.

In the meantime, some of the campaigners and locals have set up camp on the shore of the lake. The primary aim of this is to monitor any further developments at the site and ensure that nothing illegal - and particularly in breech of the injunction and instructions mentioned above - occurs. They are collecting quite a bit of data already!

ANYONE WANTING TO JOIN THEM, OR AT LEAST SEND POSTCARDS OF SUPPORT IS MORE THAN WELCOME!
Camp Kylie (dont ask!), Thrupp Lane, Radley OX14 3NG.

Jangles,

You mention that a number of legal errors were committed, does this include the way you entered the property in the first place?

Additionally, you mention that a number of lives were at stake at the property. Knowing eventually the bailiffs would be called in; did you take this into account when you allowed young children into the house during your protest as reported by the local paper?

I am equally concerned about the environment however I chose to go about my issues in a legal and responsible way.

>Knowing eventually the bailiffs would be called in; did you take this into account when you
>allowed young children into the house during your protest as reported by the local paper?

IMHO, the squatters have a fairer idea of the situation than the local paper. And we *should* be encouraging children to participate in politics like this one, seeing as it's their earth, and all of our free spaces, that folk like NPower are trashing...

>I am equally concerned about the environment however I chose to go about my issues in a legal and >responsible way.

Squatting *is* legal:  http://www.squatter.org.uk

Breaking and entering, whether you are posing as environmental activists or as squatters is not legal, it is trespassing!

Jen you clearly have no clue about the law, and squatting in particular.

Squatting is legal - not illegal, it is in fatc an act of trespass, which makes it an unlawful occupation, but that is a matter for the owner of the property, there is no manner in which the police can or should be involved.
The correct procedure is that the landowner goes to court to obtain a writ of posession against the people occupying the land/building/tree and then gets it enforced by the regional sheriffs office.

And how far do you think your 'legal and responsible way' of campaigning about issues gets you?
Sitting at home writing letters & signing petitions is a waste of time in most respects, petitions especially get totally ignored.

Just like the two million (or however many there were) marching against the war, how much notice was taken of them by the establishment waging the war?
How much notice would have been taken if they had instead gone and occupied airbases that were bombing Iraq? Simple - they could't have flown, thereby stopping the genocide.

Direct Action gets results, its a fact you can't ignore, despite your bigoted opinion.

Jen- I have heard a few comments upon legality, and have a few very simple points to make on the matter.
Firstly, that the house was not broken into- and legally (as regards criminal law), without witness accounts to sugest otherwise, this is not legally seen as the case.
As no counts of breaking and entering have been alledged at any point, we can asume this to be the case.
Trespass (not to be confuse with agrevated trespass) is still a civil offence, not a criminal one.
Only one charge of agrevated trespass has been brought, and as the person involved is still, I believe, awaiting trial, I suggest in all fairness we repsect our long standing tradiion in this country that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
The entirety of the actions of the proetesters in this campaign have been non- violent, and have at no stages put others at risk- either through direct asault, or via negligance which may cause risk to either human health or human lif.
I wish the same could be said of the actions of the bailiffs- reports (included those of credible journists from local papers, including photograpic evidence) would back this up to a resonable degree.
We have a long history of non- violent direct action in this country, which has achievd many of the liberties we now enjoy.
I fully appriciate that the majorety of people are happy to affect change via the bollot box, and this is a right that was only granted to women in this country due to the non violent direct actions of the sufferagettes.
As an only very recent democracy (in the true sence of the word- plural voted was not even abolished until 1947!), I think there is an importance for the general populus to, on occasion, challenge the legal status quo, in order that all our rights remain to be protected.
I myself spend the greater part of my life as a law abiding citizen.
I am currently facing no criminal charges, though I was one of the occupants of Sandles for quite some time, and only guilty of the civil offence of tresspass after the possion order was placed by Oxfordshire County Court.
I just wanted to clear these few point up, as they appear to have been praying on your mind.
If you are local to he area, I suggest you go to the lakes (as you state you have environmental concerns, and if you are served a copy of the High Court Injunction awarded to Npower, that you abide fully by those conditions.
After all, we can't go around upseting the apple cart, can we?

Oh, I'd appreciate it if you do not pass too much judgemen upon my pelling- I am dyslexic, and therefore sensitive on the matter.

Respect to those people on the roof!