Valero has reported that everything is back to normal following an Extinction Rebellion protest at its refinery in Pembroke ended last night with two arrests.
The protest at the refinery started at around 5.45am on Thursday September 19 with a group of people blocking entrances to the site. Police described the protest as ‘peaceful’ but it did cause significant disruption to local traffic near the site.
Press reports said that Valero had used diggers to open entrances across fields to bypass the protest and allow tankers and workers to reach the refinery.
Specialist officers were sent to the scene and two protesters were arrested for unlawful obstruction of the highway and transferred to Haverfordwest custody. Others who took part then decided to end their protest and were reported for summons and the items they used were seized by the police. Last night all the protesters had left the area but police were maintaining high visibility patrols.
Superintendent Robyn Mason said: “Officers spoke to the protesters and partner agencies throughout the day to ensure a balance was maintained between allowing people the right to peaceful protest and the requirement to ensure the safety of, and minimise the disruption to, business and the community. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
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