Kylie called in to rescue lake

9:19am Wednesday 14th February 2007

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Environmental campaigner 'The Ant' has pitched his tent at the site of threatened Radley Lakes and called it 'Camp Kylie' in honour of the pop superstar.

He said energy company nPower's plan to dump fuel ash from Didcot power station in the lakes was "appalling", and said he hoped to enlist Kylie Minogue in his bid to save the site.

His tent is pitched outside Sandles House, from which protesting squatters were evicted last week.

The eco-warrior said: "I had the fortune to met Kylie. She is one of the most beautiful persons I have ever met.

"She is beautiful - like Thrupp Lake.

"I have contacts with Kylie's band and we want to get a message through and invite her here to see for herself what we are fighting for."

The Ant, 40, who works in a vegan restaurant in Southend, said he supported himself on protests through a small bequest from an aunt. He said he had spent the last seven years travelling the country, joining different crusades against airport runways, bypasses and building developments.

His speciality is building tunnels and bunkers and other "defences" to obstruct bailiffs.

He said he had an engineering and electrical background. He built an underground tunnel and bunker at the lakeside house but was not inside when the bailiffs arrived in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday last week to evict the squatters.

He added: "The support we have had from local people has been wonderful.

"It supports my personal crusade in life, which is to save the environment from destruction.

"We could be in for a long campaign to protect Thrupp Lake."