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Parliamentary worker arrested over rooftop airport protest

29/02/2008

A worker at the Houses of Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of helping anti-Heathrow protesters to stage a rooftop demonstration.

A 26-year-old man, who is known to have worked for at least one MP and one peer, was held at his Westminster home at 18:05 GMT on Thursday.

He was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a criminal offence of trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, Scotland Yard said.

Five anti-Heathrow airport expansion protestors scaled the roof at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.

Activists from Plane Stupid unfurled two banners reading "BAA HQ" and "No Third Runway" from the section of roof by Big Ben.

The protest was timed to coincide with the final day of the government's consultation on plans for a third runway at Heathrow, which Plane Stupid claims airport authority BAA partly wrote.

Though the protestors said they had entered parliament as guests and taken an elevator to the top floor before using a fire escape to reach the roof, it is believed they could have entered as guests of a security pass holder at Westminster.

The three men and two women involved in the demonstration were arrested for trespass and bailed to return to a central London police station on a date in April 2008, a Scotland Yard spokesperson confirmed.

The five were led down peacefully at 12:20 GMT on Wednesday, shortly after Gordon Brown had commenced the latest session of prime minister's questions.

He told MPs at the time: "The message should go out today very clearly that decisions in this country should be made in the chamber of this house and not on the roof of this house. It is a very important message that should be sent out to those people who are protesting."

Earlier this week, Greenpeace protestors scaled an Airbus A320 at Heathrow in a similar protest against expansion plans at Britain's busiest airport.