Bereaved families 'hurt' by HS2 route under cemetery

Residents are protesting about plans to tunnel High Speed Two (HS2) rail links under a Warwickshire cemetery.



In the most recent proposals a section of the route will go under ancient woodland and a private cemetery near Long Itchington.

The area includes a war memorial and graves of fallen soldiers and local family members.

Residents have been reacting as roadshows about the rail plans are taking place in Warwickshire.

Both parents and a brother of local farmer Derek Hiatt are buried in the cemetery.

He said: "[The planned route] goes right under that cemetery and I cannot agree with that. I will feel very hurt if they go anywhere near that cemetery."

Pauline Hughes lives close to the cemetery in Bascote Heath.

She said: "We believe it will have a disastrous impact on our lives.

"The prospect of having 28 trains an hour rushing in and out of that tunnel doesn't bear thinking about."