Greenham Common fence to fall

The fence that has surrounded Greenham Common for 50 years will be pulled down on Sunday marking a final victory for peace campaigners. The wire fence at the former American airbase in Berkshire will be dismantled and the 800-acre site returned to common land.

David Rendel, MP for Newbury, along with district councillors and members of the public, will push the fence to the ground to mark the start of the airbase's return to heathland. Greenham Common was the site of a continuous women's peace protest from 1981 until the final American Cruise missiles were removed in March 1991; the demonstrations ended with the closure of the base. The two-year restoration programme will create the largest area of open heathland in Berkshire.