Five eco-warriors who set up a 40 day underground protest were today (Friday) learning their fate.

They remained defiant after being found guilty by Basildon magistrates of obstructing officials during their tunnel eviction at the A130 Rettendon bypass site.

Now the five -- three women and two men -- were to appear before the court today to hear their sentences.

They have already told magistrates' chairman Alan Waddoups they are not prepared to work community service because of their nomadic life style. They could not give a guarantee that they would regularly report to probation officers.

They said they had no income, no social benefits and relied mainly on handouts.

Bare-footed Jo Wilding, 21, chuckled as she told magistrates: "We live on crumbs from the rich man's table."

Wilding's home on the court list was in Eldon Road, Ashingdon, Rochford, but she told the court she was now of no fixed address.

She said the group heard on the eco-warriors' grapevine about the A130 bypass rumpus. Rather than join other warriors in trees they decided to dig a tunnel.

Their underground "vigil" is believed to be about twice as long as the previous record.

The 15ft deep home was set up to halt the road progress and preserve ancient Gorse Woods, badger setts, nesting birds and general wildlife habitat.

Wilding, the group's unofficial courtroom lawyer, said the two large badger setts were hundreds of years old.

She believes that the eco-protest, in which they clashed with the under-sheriff and police, was not in vain because contractors had since altered plans and managed to avoid the setts.

Wilding claimed her group had also been in consultation with sympathetic residents.

Wilding believed the warriors were acting peacefully and in accordance with EU conservation directives.

She was supported by her co-defendants -- Jenny Gaiawyn, 24, from Glasgow, Cheri Hendry, 19, from Doncaster, Benjamin Hartley, 30, and Russell Johnson, 28, both from East Dulwich, London.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.