A ROAD near Kirby Misperton has re-opened after being closed for 5 hours due to a 'lorry surfer'.

Habton Road was closed after a protestor climbed on top of a heavy goods vehicle in the road at about 11.55am.

The Kirby Misperton Protectors group said that the woman was arrested and taken away at around 5pm.

Police confirmed the arrest and said the road was clear again from 5.25pm.

Lorry surfing - someone climbing onto a lorry - is a delaying tactic used by protestors to slow traffic movements.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said earlier: "This irresponsible action is extremely dangerous."

In response to police criticism, a spokesperson for Kirby Misperton Protection Camp said: “It is not for the police to determine our methods of protest.

"We have not forgotten that this right, which is enshrined in Article 11 of the Human Rights Act, was hard-earned by campaigners, and we intend to defend it."

The protest technique of 'surfing' forces vehicles to stop until an appropriate way is found to safely bring the individual down, or until the protector agrees to dismount.

KMPC say it has also been used to encourage companies to pull their business out of fracking operations.

Update:

Police say that a woman has since been charged with "getting on to a motor vehicle whilst it was on a road, without lawful authority or reasonable cause."

The 40-year-old woman was arrested on Habton Road at about 4.55pm yesterday, Thursday September 28.

She will appear at York Magistrates Court in November.

Police added that a total of 25 people have been arrested at the site so far in September. Two were released with no further action, two accepted cautions, and the other 21 have been charged to court.