Climate activists glued themselves to out of use oil tankers

This Is Rigged campaigners targeted defunct vehicles that had not been used for years

Climate activists who broke into an oil depot in a bid to halt deliveries of petrol and diesel spent hours glued to two defunct tanker lorries - not realising the trucks were decommissioned and had not been used for years, a court heard.

Hannah Taylor, 23, of Glasgow, Alexander Cowtan, 28, of Fintry, Stirlingshire, Gavin Cheyne, 56, of Portobello, Edinburgh, Kate Prasher, 69, of Melrose in Roxburghshire and Julia Redman, 72, of Tayport, Fife, entered the Grangemouth, depot of Certas Energy, the UK's largest distributor of oil fuels and lubricants, on July 19 last year.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard the five gained entry to the site at 5am using bolt cutters to make an 8ft hole in the fence.

A night photo of the Grangemouth petrochemical plant. Picture: Getty Images

Members of the group spray painted the windows and tanks of fuel delivery tankers and glued their locks, climbed on to oil tankers and glued themselves to them or pretended to glue themselves to them, and lay down and sat on the ground, causing Certas to shut down their operations.

They appeared for sentence on Thursday after being found guilty of vandalism and criminal trespass at the site, in South Shore Road, Grangemouth, and were fined £840 each.

They all denied the offences, but told the court they did not dispute the facts.

Cowtan, a PhD physics student, told the court: "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. I had several conversations with the police and also with some of the employees.

"About 4pm I debonded myself from the tanker by peeling bits of glue off my hands and waited in the car park for the police officers to safely arrest me."

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.

"They said, 'we don't use these, they're for training', and I'd also note that the two tankers were in different livery, old branding, and I noticed that one of them hadn't been taxed or MoT'd for a long time.

"The tankers that were in action were only sprayed on the windscreen.

"The action we took was peaceful and we were successful in shutting the plant down for a day."

The five accused, part of climate change protest group This Is Rigged, said their plan was to "cause disruption to the fossil fuel industry, and signal that time has run out".

Taylor said: "A just court would prosecute Ineos [the refinery owner] rather than us."

Sheriff Mark O'Hanlon, who imposed the fines, said: "I appreciate you were protesting about climate change but you committed criminal offences which the court will not tolerate."

He warned them that further offences could see them jailed.

He said: "If you persist in this course of conduct the question of custody may become a live issue."