CLEARANCE of a protest camp set up at the entrance of a planned opencast mine between two rural villages came was completed yesterday with the removal of the last two activists holding out in a tree today.

Seven people were arrested during a two-day stand-off between bailiffs and members of the Pont Valley Protection Camp at the Bradley site, on the A692, between Dipton and Leadgate, in County Durham.

A police spokesman said: “The pair, a 21-year-old man from Germany and a 44-year-old woman from Newcastle, were safely brought down from a tree on the edge of the site at around 3pm.

“Five people arrested earlier in the course of the two-day operation have been charged with aggravated trespass.

“Three have been bailed to appear before Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on May 3.”

They are Jessica Sankey, 23, of Brighton, Luka Lecoutteaux, 22, of London, and Sarah Alice Johnson, 23, of Kent, who has also been charged with common assault.

The remaining two have been bailed to appear before the same court on May 8.

They are Tobias Alexander Munnion, 25, of Newcastle, and Eleanor Ransom, 21, of Kent.

During the course of the operation, protesters used a variety of tactics to frustrate attempts to gain access to the site, including scaling trees and “locking on” to devices, burrowing into underground tunnels. One woman chained herself to a tripod.

Chief Inspector Richie Allen, of Durham Police, said: “This has been a difficult operation, not least because we are dealing with a highly-organised group of protesters which included individuals from across the UK and Europe.

“We have done all we can to keep the disruption to an absolute minimum while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

“It has now been brought to a safe conclusion and once again, I would like to thank the public for their patience.”

Bailiffs were acting on behalf of developers The Banks Group who have been been awarded permission to operate an opencast site – two public inquiries and a High Court case later.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “We very much regret that this situation had to reach this point, and are grateful to Durham Police, Durham County Council and the team of High Court enforcement officers involved for their professional assistance, advice and actions around its resolution.

“All those who were illegally on the site have now been removed from it, and while there are no indications that there is anyone remaining in any of the tunnels that have been dug, all appropriate safety checks are now being carried out to ensure this is the case.”