Stonehenge protest trio released

The protesters were persuaded to come down after seven hours

Three fathers' rights activists arrested after climbing Stonehenge in Flintstone cartoon character costumes have been released on police bail.

The men, from Fathers 4 Justice, scaled the ancient Wiltshire stones on Thursday morning.

They claimed to be staging a protest about comments made by Tory leader David Cameron on absent fathers.

The trio had planned to stay put for up to three days, but were persuaded to come down at 1630 GMT.

Insp Bill Dowling, of Wiltshire Police, said: "The three men were released at 10pm on police bail to attend Salisbury Police Station on 20 March."

Matt O'Connor, founder of Fathers 4 Justice, said the protest was staged in response to Mr Cameron's "failure to get to grips with the issue of absent fathers in Britain".

Mr Cameron had said that attitudes to guns and absentee fathers had to be altered in the same way attitudes to drink-driving had changed.

Mr O'Connor said: "We ask why is the government, through the family courts system, preventing dads who want to be good dads from seeing their children?"

The three protesters were Richard West, 40, of Ottery St Mary in Devon, David White, 29, from Southampton, and Jolly Stanesby, 36, from Ivybridge, Devon, Fathers 4 Justice said.