Drax climate protesters outside Fulford Road police station

As The Press reported, North Yorkshire Police said 22 people were arrested overnight (August 7/8) for public order offences which includes conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure. 

This afternoon (Thursday, August 8) more than a dozen protesters staged a sit-in outside the Fulford Road police station, where activists said some of those arrested were being detained.

An activist from Reclaim the Power, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Press that the group would stay outside the police station until those arrested were released.

They said the protesters had planned to set up camp in a field next to Drax.

But, they said, activists on their way to the site near Selby had turned around after police seized vans containing equipment needed to set up camp – including kitchen and flooring equipment.

“The police said they would respect people’s right to protest. But at the same time, they are doing things like seizing our equipment,” the activist said.

North Yorkshire Police’s silver commander for the operation, Superintendent Ed Haywood-Noble, said: “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 that people who work at Drax and members of the local community can go about their daily business as usual.

“At a time when police resources are stretched nationally it was essential that we acted both swiftly and robustly to reduce the risk of unlawful activity and disruption over the coming days."

• Campaigners hit back at police over 'unfathomable' North Yorkshire protest clampdown

North Yorkshire Police said officers had engaged with the group at Fulford Road police station and "so far have found no offences being committed and no threat or harm being posed".

“Operational business at the police station has not been impacted," a force spokesperson said.

The Reclaim the Power activist said the group was taking the action outside Drax in response to claims Drax had burned the equivalent of millions of trees a year.

Earlier this year BBC Panorama reported that Drax was using wood from some of the world’s most precious forests to make pellets to fuel its Selby power station.

Drax said it had not taken wood from primary forests but it would not apply for further logging licences in the province.

The Reclaim the Power activist described the practice as “completely unsustainable”.

Drax Power Station near Selby (Image: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)

Drax said it 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”.

A spokesperson added: “Our operations have not been affected by the actions of these protestors, we are continuing to generate the reliable, renewable power millions of UK homes and businesses rely on.

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

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