POLICE have said that they have been able to divert staff away from the fracking site in Kirby Misperton today after "peaceful protest activity."

A police statement said that "the majority of officers who would have attended Kirby Misperton this morning undertook neighbourhood policing roles in nearby Pickering and Kirkbymoorside instead."

They said that seven officers arrived in Pickering at 10am and patrolled the town centre on foot.

Another seven officers went to Kirkbymoorside, where they gave advice to motorists on getting their vehicles ready for winter.

Officers also attended a report of suspected hare coursing near Hovingham at 10.30am, and searched the area for a suspicious Nissan Vivaro. Enquiries in that case are ongoing.

Police officers were also able to be redeployed away from Kirby Misperton last Thursday.

November has seen a lower number of arrests at the site than previous months.

There were 26 arrests linked to protest activity in Kirby Misperton in September, and 40 in October.

There have been five so far in November.

Superintendent Alisdair Dey of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We respond proportionately to any protest activity – so when it is peaceful and safe, we can scale down our resources there, and redeploy officers to neighbourhood policing roles elsewhere in Ryedale.”