Arrests made at power station 'climate camp'

A total of 22 people have been arrested in connection with a planned "climate camp" near a power station in North Yorkshire, police have said.

The arrests were for public order offences, including conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure at Drax Power Station in Selby between 8 and 13 August.

Several items which would be associated with large scale protest were also seized, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Supt Ed Haywood-Noble said: "At a time when police resources are stretched nationally, it was essential we acted both swiftly and robustly to reduce the risk of unlawful activity and disruption over the coming days."

He added: “Policing is not anti-protest, we are anti-crime, and we are here to protect the public.

"The right to peaceful protest is part of UK democracy. It’s our responsibility to manage the protest in line with legal obligations.

"We also have a duty to ensure people who work at Drax and members of the local community can go about their daily business as usual."

There would be a "highly visible" police presence in the area for the duration of the planned camp to ensure "disruption to our communities is kept to a minimum", a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police and British Transport Police (BTP) also took part in the operation.

There was "no disruption" to rail services to and from the power station site, BTP said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Drax Group said its operations at the power station had not been affected by the protesters.

"We thank North Yorkshire Police for their swift action this morning to protect our colleagues and the wider community," they added.

“We respect everyone’s right to protest peacefully. However, this climate protest is completely misguided."

“Drax has been at the forefront of efforts to help the UK to decarbonise at a faster rate than any other country, and is the country’s biggest renewable power generator by output, keeping the lights on for four million homes and businesses across the UK."

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