A NAKED eco-warrior from Burnley known as Fungus used a cycle lock to fasten herself by her neck to an 80ft high platform in the trees near Manchester's second runway.

As the only remaining protester in that part of the wood, Zoe Weir, 24, whose parents live in Burnley, removed all her clothing, apart from her boots, to carry out yesterday's final defiant act on her make-shift platform high up in the trees.

She clamped a cycle lock around her neck and attached it to the platform in Cedar's Wood, near Styal, Cheshire and locked her hands and arms into two plastic pipes also attached to the platform.

Bailiffs spent 75 minutes struggling to bring her to the ground while she was demanding only female bailiffs remove her because of her naked state.

Eventually a female bailiff, employed by the Under Sheriff of Cheshire, covered her with plastic sheeting and just after 2pm yesterday she was carried away to a nearby tent by four male bailiffs.

Manchester Airport has been granted legal right to possession of the woods where trees need to be felled for the £172million runway project.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: "When she was first arrested she refused to give details but she has now been bailed to appear at Macclesfield Magistrates on October 25 charged with obstructing a court officer."

As part of her bail conditions she must not return to the Manchester Airport's second runway site. More than 30 other demonstrators sill occupy the trees and have built themselves tunnels in Arthur's Wood, about half-a-mile away from Cedar's Wood. One of the protesters in Arthur's Wood who gave her name as Jass and came from Kent said today: "We are all still waiting to hear from Zoe. I have met her before at previous protests.

"We have been protesting in Arthur's Wood for about 15 months and I have been here for a couple of weeks. Everyone here is in high spirits.

"The bailiffs said they weren't going to try to evict us today it will probably be tomorrow."

It is understood Zoe has previously protested at the Faslane nuclear submarine base camp in Argyllshire.

In 1997 the second runway site was the scene of bitter battles between bailiffs and protesters as other areas were cleared for the development.

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