Campaigners last night welcomed an injunction stopping developers from spraying herbicide and clearing land to build a golf course on a historic estate.

The injunction was brought after a digger was photographed removing top soil from land on on the Cherkley Court estate near Leatherhead.

The court order, which came into force last night, prohibits Longshot Cherkley Court Ltd from spraying herbicide, clearance and other work towards constructing the golf course.

The High Court’s Queen’s Bench Division made the injunction after hearing from a lawyer for the Cherkley Campaign, which has applied for a judicial review over Mole Valley Council’s decision to grant planning permission for the project.

Developers plan to build a golf course, luxury hotel and spa at Cherkley Court, the former home of press baron Lord Beaverbrook.

Kristina Kenworthy, from the Cherkley Campaign, said top soil was removed from land at the top of estate on Monday and another area was earmarked for herbicide to create the first four holes of the new golf course.

Ms Kenworthy said: "We took the move because we learned that construction of the Beaverbrook golf course was due to start today.

"This was jumping the gun a bit.

"Cherkley Campaign is advised that it is unusual for developers to commence construction when a judicial review is pending."

Andy Smith, Surrey branch director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, spoke out against plans to start work before the judicial review.

Mr Smith said: "This is absolutely appalling and makes a mockery of the planning and legal process.

"Once this work is underway the damage to the ecology and the landscape will be largely irreversible."

Of the golf course, he said: "We see this as taking a little rural corner of Surrey and turning it into somewhere bereft of an ecosystem."

Longshot Cherkley Court said this morning it was not able to comment on the injunction at this time.

Last week it rejected claims made by campaigners and Leatherhead’s Wildlife Aid Foundation that applying herbicide would cause devastating ecological damage.

Martin Bhatia, director of landscape architects Colvin & Moggridge, said they had demonstrated how the environment would be protected during the works and operation of the golf course.

He said the herbicide, which only damages current vegetative growth and deactivates on contact with soil, would only be applied to the footprint of the golf course, which was used for agriculture until 2004.

He said: "The areas outside the footprint of the golf course development are being managed to bring about ecological enhancements compared to their current value, in parallel with also managing the 200 acres of woodland within the estate for habitat enhancement.

"Overall therefore the development will protect and enhance the biodiversity of the estate and the councillors were right to approve the scheme."

Last Friday Andy Bircher, corporate head of service at Mole Valley Council, said the herbicide was subject to strict controls on land re-seeded a few years ago.

Of its application, he said: "The developer is carrying out essential work in preparation for the development."