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Anti-fracking protest in Swansea causes M4 traffic chaos | Anti-fracking protest in Swansea causes M4 traffic chaos |
(35 minutes later) | |
Anti-fracking protesters have been causing traffic chaos for commuters on the main road into Swansea. | |
The group Reclaim the Power says it has blockaded and shut down construction of a new Swansea University building on Fabian Way. | |
The protest started at about 06:00 BST on Monday. | The protest started at about 06:00 BST on Monday. |
Swansea University said it was co-operating with police and construction staff to keep disruption to a minimum. | |
South Wales Police said the road, which leads off the M4 and into the city, was heavily congested but traffic was now easing. | |
At one point traffic was tailing back to the M4 at junction 42. | |
In a press release, the activists said they had dressed as "mad scientists" to protest against fracking research. They have camped outside the site, dropped a "No Fracking" banner from the top of the building and another protester was locked on to a tripod. | |
They say they are "angered" by "tens of millions of public money being funnelled into research on fracking via Swansea University's new Energy Safety Research Institute". | |
A spokeswoman for Swansea University confirmed the UK and Welsh governments had both funded research into "all types of energy, and one of those could be fracking" at the site. | |
She also confirmed previous landowners BP had donated the site to the university, which the protesters are unhappy about. | |
The spokeswoman added: "The university hopes that any disruption caused by this demonstration is kept to a minimum by the appropriate authorities. | |
"We will be cooperating with the police and our contractors to resolve the situation as speedily as possible." | |
Meanwhile a protest is also being staged at the offices of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London. |