Drax: More than 20 people arrested after 'planned climate camp' set up near Yorkshire power station

North Yorkshire Police, British Transport Police and West Yorkshire Police have all been dealing with what has been described as a ‘planned climate camp’ at Drax Power Station near Selby, which is set to take place between today (Aug 8) and Tuesday (Aug 13).

Officers have arrested 22 people for a range of public order offences, including conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure. A statement from North Yorkshire Police said items “which would be associated with large scale protest” have been seized.

The force said it will have an increased presence in the area from today, and will deal with any ourbreaks of disorder “robustly”.

Superintendent Ed Haywood-Noble of North Yorkshire Police 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."

A Drax spokesperson said: “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.

“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.

“We now plan to combine our bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), to remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere whilst producing secure, renewable power. According to leading international authorities on climate change, BECCS is a critical climate saving technology.”