TEN animal rights protesters have been given £30,000 compensation after claiming they were falsely imprisoned in Swindon.

Wiltshire Constabulary settled out of court with the protesters but did not admit liability.

Their lawyer Iftikhar Manzoor said they had been involved in a peaceful protest against a pheasant shoot at Wansdyke Farm, Ham, near Marlborough, in October 2001.

They had approached the shooters and stood next to them. According to gun-handling guidelines a shooter must break their gun to make it safe if approached by a member of the public. But all of the protestors were arrested on suspicion of actual body harm (ABH) and handcuffed and taken to Westlea police station in Swindon, Mr Manzoor said. They were interviewed then bailed but this was later cancelled.

Mr Manzoor, from Irwin Mitchell, said: "Everyone in the UK has the right to peaceful protest but that was denied to my clients when they were wrongfully arrested."

Superintendent Wayne Bonne, head of professional standards at Wiltshire Police, said: "It is not the policy of Wiltshire Constabulary to discuss individual cases however we can confirm that £30,000 was paid collectively in settlement to the 10 claimants.

"The settlement was reached without admission of liability."