Campaigners have pledged to continue in their battle against the new tunnel at Stonehenge, with  their latest appeal being dismissed by the High Court in February. 

National Highway, who plan to rebuild eight miles of the A303, including the tunnel, argue that it will shorten the lengths of journey times, as well as eliminating the sight and sound of traffic for people admiring the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ruling comes as a blow for campaigners, who insist that the preservation of Stonehenge and the surrounding area is more important than resolving traffic issues.

The campaigners also claim that with the proposed solution, the tunnel will just move the traffic further down the road, rather than actually solving the problem. 

The campaign has so far raised more than £15,000 with the potential of another £40,000 required if given permission to appeal.

They had already raised £80,000 for the first two cases.

Support remains strong – with close to 240,000 names added to a petition from all over the world.

John Adams OBE, Chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance said to the Journal: “Stonehenge World Heritage Site is the setting for the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England.

"This is an internationally important landscape described by UNESCO as a landscape without parallel.

“Two Transport Secretaries have acknowledged that this development will cause harm and yet the government is determined to build this road and cause permanent damage to the World Heritage Site.”

He went on to say that this suggests: “The British government does not care about British culture”. 

There are also significant environmental concerns. The building project will likely have a widespread impact on the current ecological habitats, as well as fears that the tunnel will lead to a major increase in carbon emissions from the project.

There is also some local support for the tunnel, however.

Residents of local villages Shrewton and Winterbourne Stoke are generally in favour of the tunnel.

It is thought that motorists, who often drive through the respective villages to avoid the traffic on the A303 – will stop doing so if the tunnel is built. 

Other organisations such as English Heritage, who own the site, are also in favour of the underground tunnel on the presumption that it will join the adjacent sites which the road currently splits. 

Chris Todd, director of Transport Action Network, a member of the Stonehenge Alliance and a director of SSSWHS said he understands the frustration of residents of Winterbourne Stoke and Shrewton who have to deal with the 'rat-runs', and wishes wishes to thank the "outstanding" support that the campaign has received so far, and says that people have been "really supportive".