A CONFRONTATION was today looming between police and hundreds of protesters aiming to shut down a North Yorkshire power station.

The Press can reveal that police are taking the threat posed by the Camp For Climate Action near Drax Power Station, near Selby, so seriously that they have cancelled all new requests for leave and are drafting in officers from as far away as Hampshire.

Today eco-warriors vowed to break the law to achieve their goals, ignoring a legal injunction designed to keep them from the site. One protester, Foye Hatton, 28, of London, said: "On Thursday the plan is through mass civil disobedience to close down Drax Power Station. People also will form small groups who go off and do other actions in the build-up to the big day."

Richard Lane, 28, from York, said: "We know we are not going to make a difference to the UK emissions with this action but the fact is that we all know global warming is a disaster looming down on us."

Drax has warned that, because it is such an important station - supplying seven per cent of Britain's electricity needs - any shutdown could destabilise the National Grid and lead to power cuts.

Earlier this month, plant bosses obtained a court injunction banning protesters from the site.

The Press understands that assistance has been given to the North Yorkshire force from several other forces, mainly from the North of England, and that some leave has been cancelled.

The North Yorkshire force declined to comment on either the cancellation of leave or assistance from elsewhere, but Hampshire Constabulary confirmed to The Press that it had sent ten officers to North Yorkshire, where they would remain all week, and Cleveland Constabulary said it would be sending officers to help on a daily basis, starting at the weekend.

A police source also said: "All rest days have been re-rostered and any new annual leave has been cancelled to ensure there will be enough officers on hand to cope."

The source added that rank- and-file officers had concerns about resources being tied up during one of the busiest times of the year.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Bagshaw said in a statement that the force had made preparations with other protection agencies to ensure they could respond to any issues arising from the camp.

This would ensure people could exercise their lawful right to demonstrate, while minimising disruption to local residents, businesses or visitors to the area.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian McPherson said: "We aim to provide reassurance by promoting safety, maintaining order and reducing the fear of crime. We also aim to minimise disruption to local communities, residents and businesses by maintaining the local neighbourhood policing service."


Activists gather from across the UK

CLIMATE campaigners from across the country descended on a field close to Drax Power Station on the opening weekend of a ten-day camp.

Hundreds of green protestors pitched tents, set up compost toilets and started work on an electricity-generating windmill on the legally-squatted farmer's land next to Barlow Common, near Selby.

Some had arrived on Thursday morning, built a scaffolding tower and put up marquees to lay claim to the area, which they plan to use throughout the national Camp For Climate Action.

On the first day there was a heavy police presence on the roads around the camp.

Some officers were photographing anyone who entering it.

But inside there was a festival atmosphere with the field split into "neighbourhoods" of activists who held group meetings to decide how their section would be run.

Eco-activist Alex, 27, from London, said the camp aimed to shut down Drax and educate people about climate change but also show how a low-energy lifestyle could work.