Swampy The magistrate passing sentence on him was David Cameron's mother. Swampy was originally from Newbury, Berkshire, the site of the protest over the Newbury bypass, and he then lived with his parents in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire. Hooper's subsequent fame included an appearance on the BBC comedy current affairs quiz "Have I Got News for You", on 18 April 1997, when he briefly became the show's youngest ever panelist. In 1997, he took part in another tunnel protest intended to prevent the building of a second runway at Manchester Airport, and has also been involved with the Trident nuclear submarine protest camp
Newbury bypass of The British Mountaineering Council said "Climbers have an enviable environmental record, and the vast majority will be outraged at being associated with actions of this kind." Climber and writer Jim Perrin said "If we, as a community, do not disown and ostracise these mercenaries and renegades, we are undermining the reason for our own existence and helping accelerate the destruction of places we hold most dear". On Monday 29 January there was a public meeting at the Waterside Centre in Newbury organised jointly by Friends of the Earth and The Green Party to promote the Road Traffic Reduction Bill.