During the clearance of woodland along the route in early 2020, the group HS2 Rebellion squatted on a site in the Colne Valley aiming to block construction; the protesters argued that public money would be more suited to supporting the National Health Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. HS2 and Hillingdon council both moved to get separate injunctions allowing them to remove the squatters. Another camp was set up in March 2020 at Jones Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire, aiming to preserve a wood which inspired Roald Dahl to write "Fantastic Mr Fox." Activists, including Swampy, were evicted from treehouses in October 2020.