Protester arrested at Lanarkshire coal depot

Arrests were made during a similar protest at Ravenstruther last year

An environmental campaigner has been arrested after a protest at a coal rail depot in South Lanarkshire.

The man tried to lock himself onto machinery used to load the conveyor belt at the Ravenstruther terminal near Lanark.

It follows two days of arrests at the protest camp at Mainshill wood near the village of Douglas.

Campaigners are opposing plans for an open cast mine and have built tunnels and tree houses to avoid eviction.

A spokesman for the protesters said the action at Ravenstruther involved a man who locked himself to a digger at the site.

The activists claimed the entire depot had to be shut down for a period of time with trucks left queuing at the gate and a freight train unable to load.

'Minimal disruption'

A spokesman for Scottish Coal, who operate the rail terminal, said: "There was an incident involving two people who were removed by British Transport Police.

"There was minimal disruption and things are now back to normal."

In October last year five people were arrested over a similar blockade protest at Ravenstruther.

More than 30 protesters have been arrested at the Mainshill camp

Scottish Coal has been granted permission to mine about 1.7 million tonnes of coal at Mainshill wood which is located on Lord Home's Douglas estate.

The national eviction team, accompanied by police, moved in on Monday to the clear environmental campaigners, some of whom have been camped at the site for seven months.

Nineteen protesters were arrested on Monday and seven on Tuesday, including a woman in a wheelchair who had attempted to lock herself to a bulldozer at the site boundary.

Four further campaigners were removed from the wood and detained by police this morning as the eviction continues.