A member of Unite Union has won his right to continue a peaceful protest outside a Scottish power station.

Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) failed in its application for an interim injunction against Steve Acheson at the Royal Courts of Justice on 21st October.

The firm had been seeking Steve Acheson's removal from outside the Fiddlers' Ferry power station near Warrington where he has been protesting against his dismissal by site contractors and against blacklisting for over nine months.

The judge dismissed the application and ordered SSE to pay Mr Acheson's costs.


He said that the application came some nine months after Mr Acheson had begun his protest and that their appeared little urgency on the part of SSE to act against Mr Acheson.

The judge said that the application (based on a fear that Mr Acheson would enter the site with a view to causing damage) was 'fanciful' and 'almost paranoid' and noted that Mr Acheson's occupation meant that he was alive to the dangers posed by power stations.

In written submissions to the court SSE indicated that they had concerns about climate protesters and Steve Acheson seeking to disrupt the operation of the power station and interrupt the supply of power to the national grid.

Unite Assistant General Secretary, Les Bayliss, said: "Scottish and Southern tried to cook up a fictional story to try to prevent a Unite member from holding a peaceful protest against blacklisting in construction outside Fiddler's Ferry power station. This was a blatant attack on the rights we hold dear in a democratic society and we are pleased that the judge saw right through Scottish and Southern's bogus arguments."

(GK/BMcC)