Vegan activists drill holes in milk lorry tyres

VEGAN activists blockaded depots and sabotaged tankers as attempts to trigger a national milk shortage entered a second day yesterday.

Zealots from Animal Rebellion – an offshoot of militant group Extinction Rebellion – broke into dairy processing plants at 3am yesterday to drill holes in the tyres of delivery lorries and fill their exhaust pipes with expanding foam.

Activists also tried to block the streets outside the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster just hours before Liz Truss was named new Tory party leader.

The blockade included the UK’s biggest dairy distribution centre near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which is owned by Arla, plus three plants run by Muller – at Droitwich, Severnside and Bridgwater.

The vegan protesters, who oppose animal farming, forced the dairy giants’ trucks to stop before climbing on to them, as others trespassed company facilities to scale milk silos and loading bays.

Thames Valley Police said it made four arrests at the Aylesbury site yesterday, after 27 protesters were arrested for blockading the complex on Sunday.

At 3am, vegans drilled holes in lorry tyres at the Muller plant at Hampton Lovett, near Droitwich, Worcestershire. West Mercia Police said it had made 21 arrests for aggravated trespassing offences. Assistant Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: ‘We respect the right to peaceful protest but we will take proportionate action when the law is broken.’

Further protests took place at a Muller site near Bridgwater in Somerset, with 15 arrests.

Arla said it was working with the police to resolve the situation, adding: ‘The safety and security of our colleagues at the site is our No 1 priority.’