Trident Protests leads to 47 Arrests

47 people have been arrested during a demo against nuclear weapons at Faslane naval base.

Campaigners have chained themselves to each other and are blocking the entrance of the Faslane base in Argyll, the home of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons. 

The Scrap Trident coalition wants Scotland to be allowed to ``lead the way to a world free of nuclear weapons'' and more than 100 of its supporters are demonstrating outside the base. 

Around 20 people, in pairs or in groups of three, chained their arms together inside sections of drain pipes and other plastic tubing and lay down on the road in front of the north gate at Faslane, while eight other people did the same at the south gate. 

Police issued a warning to the group at the north gate then officers started using cutting equipment to separate them. A total of 47 people were arrested five hours into the protest. 

The 32 women and 15 men have been charged with alleged offences such as breach of the peace and resisting arrest, police said. 

The blockade follows a weekend of action calling on the UK Government to scrap Trident and use its budget to fund welfare, education and health instead.