Eco-warriors are breathing a collective sigh of relief as their unelected guru Swampy strides back to the front line.

The green-minded campaigner, known as Daniel Hooper to his mum, has moved into a pink makeshift 'castle' near Weymouth, Dorset, to protest against genetically modified crops. Swampy has erected his turret on a government-approved field for planting GM maize and is fully intending to stand his ground.

Swampy, and 25 other protestors, last week battled with police and farm-workers over the maize crop, which is designed to resist the herbicide Glufosinate, meaning even greater quantities of the chemical could be sprayed on the innocent cereal.

They were joined in their crusade by more than a handful of local families, who cheered the hardened eco-warriors on as they chained themselves to tractors and skirmished with the police. Four people were arrested but later released.

Hooper made a name for himself in 1996 when he protested against the Newbury bypass by burrowing his way into a tunnel from which he had to be physically ejected by authorities. After finding nationwide fame, he now claims to be shying away from publicity as he fears his glamorous media-friendly name and hearthrob image will detract attention from the cause. Surely not?