Greenpeace protestors released on bail following protest on Rishi Sunak's roof

Mr Sunak and his family were not at home when the protest took place, but are currently away on holiday in California. Credit: PA

Five people arrested after a Greenpeace protest at the North Yorkshire home of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

It is after Greenpeace protestors climbed onto the the roof of Mr Sunak's house on Thursday 4 August and draped 200 metres of black fabric from the roof, in a bid to "drive home the dangerous consequences of a new drilling frenzy".

The protest came days after the prime minister, the MP for nearby Richmond, insisted he wants to “max out” developments in the North Sea

North Yorkshire Police arrested two men and two women on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance. A fifth man was later arrested on suspicion of causing public nuisance.

Mr Sunak and his family were not at home when the protest took place, but are currently away on holiday in California.

At around 1:15pm the group climbed down and were spoken to by officers before being loaded into the back of police vans.

Assistant Chief Constable Elliot Foskett said: “There was no threat to the wider public throughout this incident which has now been brought to a safe conclusion.”

Questions are now being asked about security surrounding the Prime Minister's house.

A former deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Peter Walker, told LBC the protest was a “major breach of security”, as he called for an “investigation into how this has been allowed to happen”.

In an earlier statement, Number 10 said police were attending the scene before defending Mr Sunak's climate policies.

“We make no apology for taking the right approach to ensure our energy security, using the resources we have here at home so we are never reliant on aggressors like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for our energy,” Number 10's statement continued.

“We are also investing in renewables and our approach supports thousands of British jobs.”

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