A FORMER Mayor of Amersham has quit the local Conservative group in protest at HS2 - and he predicts more will follow his lead.

Martin King resigned his membership of the Chesham and Amersham branch of the Conservatives after the government officially gave the go-ahead for the controversial £32b scheme this week.

Mr King, a former chairman of the branch and Amersham Mayor from 2007-9, said he left the group with a heavy heart but felt he could no longer support the party because of their stance on the new high speed rail line.

Tory Transport Secretary Justine Greening confirmed the route this week, which as expected will cut through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

More tunnels will be built through the region in a bid to reduce the project's visual impact but Mr King said the changes did not go far enough.

He told the Bucks Free Press: "All this cutting through the Green Belt, I'm completely anti it.

"This is the most beautiful part of the Chilterns and they are doing what the Lords and MPs want them to. It's the northern MPs that voted this through - they don't give a damn.

"I've been down and looked at HS1 and it's an eyesroe. That's what we're going to get here."

Referring to his resignation, Mr King said: "I think it's the right thing to do. I feel very sad about it. I didn't want to do it and I would join again if the opportunity was good, but not while they are doing this sort of thing."

In December 2010 we revealed the Chesham and Amersham Conservative group had resigned from the Premier Division of Associations - meaning they cut funding towards party HQ - in protest at HS2.

And Mr King thinks more party members will resign over this week's confirmation of the route.

He said: "I would think a lot of people will. They don't listen to the likes of me unless they make a stand."

Amersham's MP Cheryl Gillan has faced calls to resign her Cabinet post as Secretary of State for Wales on a point of principle over HS2, but Mr King has given her his full backing and says she has faced unfair criticism over her handling of the project.

He said: "I still think she's a great MP and I back her all the way. She's the fairest MP we've ever had. She's taken a lot of stick over this and I don't think that's fair. She's done the best she can from the inside."