Environmental activists known for their civil disobedience tactics are set to gather in a Sussex town.
Campaign group No Dash For Gas has announced it will host a Reclaim the Power demonstration in Lewes later this month.
Sussex Police are now urging organisers to get in touch to explain their intentions and help them understand what if any presence will be needed for the weekend.
Organisers say they have plans for “some kick-ass action” and want fellow activists to join them at the gathering at Zu Studios on the Phoenix Industrial Estate on the weekend of March 22 and 23.
The site is less than a mile from the Sussex Police Crime Commissioner and within a mile and a half of Sussex Police’s headquarters.
Members from the No Dash For Gas group took part in a mass civil disobedience during a week-long Reclaim the Power camp in August at Balcombe.
The action saw officers arrest more than 30 people, including Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas.
In October 2012, members of the group shut down the West Burton gas power station for a week, while most recently a blockade held up the delivery of a wind turbine blade to the Barton Moss shale gas test site in Salford.
A member of the group told The Argus: “We’ve had gatherings in Manchester and Oxford, now we’re going further south to be more accessible to all.”
Martin Thomas, of Zu Studios, said: “A mutual acquaintance suggested us and I was very happy to open up the space.
“I have been told to expect maybe 50 people.
“I am providing the space but I don’t really know what they have planned.
“Lewes as a town has a history of people standing up against things they don’t want so it’s quite a relevant place.”
Lewes MP Norman Baker said: “This is a free country and if people want to congregate why shouldn’t they?
“There aren’t any fracking sites in Lewes so in that sense I am not sure why they are coming here.”
Chief Inspector Gary Keating said: “We are seeking to make contact with the premises owner through our neighbourhood policing team to determine whether there will be a need for any police presence to prevent disruption on the estate and in the town.”
Eco activists heading to Lewes to ‘reclaim the power’ (From The Argus).