A fifth HS2 protester has voluntarily left the Euston tunnel, leaving four people still in occupation. The decision by Dr Larch Maxey came on the same day that a high court judge granted a possession order to HS2 for the site in London. The judge had already granted an injunction against the protesters ordering them to cease any further tunnelling and to cooperate with the authorities to leave the site safely. The injunctions could lead to legal proceedings against them when they emerge from what the judge described as their “bunker”. Maxey left the tunnel on Monday at around noon. Like the other four who have already left the tunnel – Rory Hooper, Lazer Sandford, Scott Breen and a 17-year-old known as Rollie – he left voluntarily. However, he said he felt he had little choice but to leave. “They’ve got all my stuff, they’ve got me backed into a corner and at that point I was like: ‘OK I’m coming out,’” he said. He added: “I’ve studied the science for 25 years and it is clear that we face a growing risk of societal collapse if we do not address the climate and ecological emergency which HS2 threatens to accelerate.” Ben Hartley, 38, one of the climate activists supporting the people in the tunnel, said conditions would be challenging for those remaining – three in a tunnel nicknamed Kelvin and one in a tunnel nicknamed Crystal. The remaining four are Dan Hooper, known as Swampy, Blue Sandford, 18, and two known as Nemo and Bradley. “Their world has become reduced to a single space with little room to stretch out or move,” said Hartley. “Everything will be gritty and covered in earth.” He praised the protesters’ powers of endurance as the occupation approached four weeks. A spokesperson for the activists in the tunnel said: “We are in a fantastic place right now with four out of the nine original tree protectors still living in the tunnel after 27 days. It’s gone beyond our wildest dreams.” A HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “HS2 Ltd has today been successful in obtaining a possession order from the high court, establishing that HS2 has legal possession of Euston Square Gardens. This is in addition to the injunctions that were granted by the high court last week. “From the outset HS2 staff, our agents and the emergency service personnel involved in this eviction have acted with safety as their utmost priority, risking their own lives in order to ensure the wellbeing of the illegal trespassers who have placed themselves in such a dangerous situation underground.” The protesters say the HS2 development is causing destruction to ancient woodland. HS2 says the high-speed rail link will provide a greener form of transport than cars and that they are planting 7m new trees to replace any cut down to make way for the line.