A druid has been banned from trying to stop archaeologists removing an ancient wood circle from the sea.

Buster Nolan, of Great Bardfield, was one of a group of protesters banned from the site of Seahenge in Norfolk by the High Courton Tuesday.

The move came after English Heritage won a renewed court injunction banning protesters from interfering with the work of archaeologists. A judge decided the archaeologists had won the right to a 20-metres square exclusion zone.

But Mrs Justice Arden, extending an injunction granted last week, urged the conservation body to meet the people of Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, with a view to possibly re-erecting the 4,000-year-old circle inland from its present site rather than taking it to the Flag Fen archaeological centre in Cambridgeshire.

Replacing the monument with a replica might also be considered, she said.

Speaking after the hearing Mr Nolan said the hearing had been a victory for the campaigners.

He said: "I should feel negative but I actually feel very positive. I'm more than satisfied and it's a result I couldn't have dreamed of.

"We were told the judge was entirely aware that our motives were of the best intention. The trouble is that the law books prescribe him to act in a certain way.

"English Heritage have been told to consult with us before anything else happens. They have been told we must have some say on the future of the circle. This could even have repercussions in the way they treat Stonehenge."

English Heritage, which has permission to carry out the excavation, is anxious to complete the task by the end of the month.

It decided removal was the only option because the 55 Bronze Age tree trunks, having been exposed by low tides since last year, would deteriorate and crumble away.

But Chief Druid Rollo Maughfling, backed by other objectors in court, argued Seahenge was a sacred site and should be left for people to enjoy in its proper setting. In a local TV poll, 6,000 people voted to "let it be", with only 1,000 against.

The judge accepted the objectors had acted in good faith to bring the matter to public attention. But she was satisfied English Heritage should be allowed to preserve the monument.

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