St. George's Preservation Authority was granted an injunction yesterday stopping Government from continuing work at the historic Old Town post office.

Conservationists have reacted with outrage to news that the roof and cedar beams have been removed from the listed building by contractors for Works and Engineering in apparent breach of all planning laws.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott insisted on Monday night - before the injunction was granted - that his department had planning permission for the work.

But Preservation Authority chairman Henry Hayward, the Mayor of St. George's, flatly rejected this yesterday.

All renovations in the World Heritage Site area must be approved by the Preservation Authority and none has been granted. Nor has the Planning Department given approval, he said.

Mr. Hayward persuaded Mr. Justice Dennis Mitchell at Supreme Court to grant an injunction naming Mr. Scott halting work at the Old Post Office.

Mr. Scott's department faces a fine of up to $840, but there is provision for a court to order an offender who carries out unauthorised work to pay the cost of restoring a building to its former state.

The Old Post Office building, erected on the site of Bermuda's first jail in 1622, was constructed on 1760 as a new prison.

National Trust president Henry Ming said he was ``outraged and very depressed'' that a Government department could flout all the rules - particularly as Premier Jennifer Smith had supported the Old Town's World Heritage status bid.

"This is a grade two listed building in a World Heritage Site," said Mr. Ming.

"How much more protection could be afforded a historic building? And yet, flagrantly, the process to ensure that protection has been ignored.

"Unauthorised activity resulting in damage to the historic fabric of a building in this historic area is an embarrassment. The fact that it was done in isolation of the rules and protections put in place to prevent just such a desecration is inexcusable.

"The Ministry of the Environment and the Planning Department have been working to encourage property owners in the Old Town to value the historic buildings and feel positive about the additional planning processes they are subject to because they live and work in such an important historic site.

"And yet, another arm of the same Government considers itself above these processes.

"St. George's and Bermuda deserve an explanation as to how this could have occurred and how it will be prevented from happening in the future.

"A process exists to protect our built heritage and in this instance it was flouted. We need to know why."

Mr. Hayward said yesterday that the injunction had been served on the office of Attorney General Dame Lois Browne-Evans and that work had stopped.

"The injunction was applied for because no application was made and approval has not been given for work to proceed and begin with," he said.

"The roof is off. The cedar beams are not there and I have no idea where they are."

When told Mr. Scott had said his department had planning permission, he replied: "I can say categorically they have no permission from the Preservation Authority and I understand they have no permission from the Planning Department."