Woman charged over tomato attack

A rotten tomato reached its prime ministerial target

A 25-year-old woman has been charged following a tomato attack on Prime Minster Tony Blair during a visit to Bristol.

The woman from Eastville, Bristol, was arrested after Mr Blair was hit on the back with a tomato as he arrived to open a further education college campus in the city on Tuesday.

She has been bailed to appear before the city's magistrates on Friday.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: "The woman was charged with causing criminal damage to a jacket belonging to Tony Blair, intending to damage that property or be reckless as to whether the property would be damaged."

A second woman is being questioned by detectives at Bridewell police station in connection with throwing a citrus fruit at a police officer.

Demonstrators

It was Mr Blair's first campaign trip of the New Year, designed to focus both on education and the importance of investment in other public services.

With a tomato stain on the shoulder of his dark suit, the prime minister went on to meet some of the students at the City of Bristol College before performing a brief formal opening ceremony.

Elsewhere police stopped a group of farmers, including David Handley from Farmers For Action and one of the leaders of last year's fuel blockades, from staging a protest.

About a dozen tractors and lorries were halted a short distance from the city council offices, where Mr Blair delivered a keynote speech laying out the ground on which Labour is expected to fight the next election.