PROTESTERS camped out next to the site of the former Bar End meadow in Win-chester have vowed to continue their campaign, despite there being little of the grassland left.

They are also promising to carry out more of the publicity stunts that have so far seen them chain themselves naked to the gates outside the Hampshire County Council headquarters and protest outside Winchester Guildhall.

These new threats of more demonstrations come as the latest pictures from the meadow show the contractors brought in to clear the six-acre site have left little of the pasture untouched.

The meadow is being turned into an extension of the city's park-and-ride scheme with the site earmarked for 420 extra parking spaces in a bid to ease congestion in the centre of Winchester.

Winchester City Council says the extension is necessary, not only to reduce the number of commuters driving into Winchester each day - some estimates suggest the extra spaces could lead to 10,000 fewer cars a year entering the city centre - but also to improve air quality.

However, the environmental campaigners, who have now been at their camp on Garnier Road for more than a month, say the move is outrageous as the meadow was promised to the people of Winchester after the M3 extension destroyed part of Twyford Down in the early 90s.

The council has offered a site on Magdalen Hill outside the city as recompense for the loss of the Bar End Meadow. The protesters argue the land offered, though three times larger, is too far from the city and will discourage people from going there.

One of those campaigning is self-styled druid king Arthur Pendragon.

He said: "I'm joining this protest because the council went back on its word.

"This meadow was promised to the people of Winchester after road building destroyed Twyford Down.

"Now the council wants to destroy this new meadow, and for what, more concrete. Yet again the authorities are putting nature second."

Mr Pendragon has vowed to continue his protest, despite being arrested at the site last Thursday evening for interfering with the building work.