AN INJUNCTION was served on Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley and others last night to stop bulldozers moving in to demolish hundreds of homes as part of the Edge Lane road-widening scheme.

Solicitors acting on behalf of campaigner and local resident Elizabeth Pascoe - who brought a successful High Court challenge to prevent the scheme from going ahead - obtained the injunction over the weekend.

It means that if the council, and other parties involved with the scheme, press ahead with the demolition as planned this morning, they could be found in contempt of court.

The action was taken after the council and lead organisation Liverpool Land Development Company announced at the end of last week that they were pressing ahead with the demolition of 265 derelict properties which are already in public ownership to pave the way for a multi-million pound facelift for the area, including new homes to replace the rundown buildings.

The council's Liberal Party leader Steve Radford, who is supporting Ms Pascoe in her campaign, said last night: "We believe the council is undermining or seeking to undermine the High Court ruling.

"The authority has not gone through a fresh, transparent planning process to take account of the legal judgment.

"What we are seeing is the council trying to bully working-class districts into submission."

The stretch of land, in the Edge Lane West area, is being cleared to make way for major road improvements to remove the traffic bottleneck at St Cyprian's Church.

It includes realigning the road, widening it to a dual carriageway, and introducing a central reservation

The project is being delivered by Liverpool Land Development Company (LLDC), the Northwest Regional Development Agency, English Partnerships and Liverpool City Council, all of whom were served with a copy of the injunction.

Last month, a High Court judge refused to rubber-stamp a compulsory purchase order forcing residents fighting the plans to leave.

Ms Pascoe, of Adderley Street, Kensington, argued the plan to buy up her home was a breach of her human rights. A further ruling is expected next month.

Ms Pascoe said last night: "When we couldn't find out which properties were going to be demolished, we were left with no alternative but to take out an injunction.

The council is still playing dirty and trying to carry out the demolitions before the judge has said what is going to happen."

Cllr Bradley was unavailable for comment last night.