Activists’ sticky mistake

CLIMATE activists who broke into an oil depot to halt fuel deliveries spent hours glued to two tankers, not realising the trucks were decommissioned and had not been used for years.

Among the group of five was Tayport pensioner Julia Redman, 72, and student Alexander Cowtan, 28, of Fintry, Stirlingshire.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard the group gained entry to the site at 5am on July 19 last year, using bolt cutters to make an 8ft hole in the fence.

They spray painted the windows and tanks of fuel delivery tankers and glued their locks.

They climbed on to oil tankers and glued themselves – or pretended to – to them and lay down and sat on the ground, causing oil and fuel and lubricants distributor Certas Energy to shut down operations.

Hannah Taylor, 23, of Glasgow, 56-yearold Gavin Cheyne, of Portobello, and Kate Prasher, 69, of Melrose, appeared with Redman and Cowtan in court for sentencing.

They had earlier been found guilty of vandalism and criminal trespass at the site, in South Shore Road, Grangemouth, and were fined £840 each. They denied the offences but told the court they did not dispute the facts.

Cowtan, a PhD physics student, said: “Over the course of the day it became clear that the tanker I had glued myself to was, ironically, defunct and had been for two years.”

IT professional Cheyne added: “The two tankers that we were next to had been out of commission for a long time – as we were told by employees who were trying to point out to us that our actions were ineffective.”

Fuel protesters.