Ten Just Stop Oil activists appear in court charged with conspiracy to disrupt Britain's busiest airport Heathrow as summer holiday-makers attempt to set off

Ten Just Stop Oil activists have appeared in court charged with conspiring to disrupt Heathrow Airport on Wednesday.

The activists were arrested as part of 'an intelligence-led policing operation at airports across Europe' that included Heathrow.

Militant activists forced planes to remain grounded in Germany and reached the runway in Spain on Wednesday morning after vowing to use 'all means necessary' to target millions of families planning well-earned getaways across the continent.

All ten were arrested either at Heathrow Airport or in the vicinity and were charged this afternoon with conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure under Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2003.

They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court where eight were remanded in custody.

They are Sally Davidson, 36, of Portland, Dorset; Adam Beard, 55, of Stroud, Gloucestershire; Rosa Hicks, 28, of Stratford, London; Rory Wilson, 26, of Tower Hamlets, London;  Luke Elson, of Stratford, London; Luke Watson, 34, of Manuden, Essex; Sean O'Callaghan, 29 of Mickleham, Surrey; and Hannah Schafer, 60, of Ceredigion, west Wales.

According to a post on Just Stop Oil's X page, Hicks was arrested at home.

The post stated: 'Despite being nowhere near Heathrow Airport, she has also been remanded to prison.'

Julia Mercer, 74, of Calderdale, West Yorkshire and William Goldring, 27, of Southwark, London, were bailed with conditions that include not going within 1km (0.62 miles) of an airport without a ticket to travel.

The 10 were v being snared by police in London as they cycled on the perimeter road around the UK's biggest airport.

While the disruption was minimal at Heathrow, eleven activists in Switzerland blocked main roads around both Zurich and Geneva airport. 

Shocking scenes in Rome saw people throwing orange paint in Terminal 3, while the departure time of a plane at the airport was delayed due to activist disruption. 

Five eco activists in Spain accessed the taxiway at Barcelona airport but were intercepted before they could take action. 

A German climate activist group that caused flight cancellations at Cologne-Bonn airport by gluing themselves to the runway said similar disruptions to push for an end to fossil fuels were planned over the next few weeks globally.

'That was just the beginning today. Over the next few weeks we will repeat this in Germany, Europe and globally,' a member of the Last Generation activist group said in a media briefing. 

Officers at Heathrow swooped in before the activists gained any unauthorised entry to the airport or the airfield, it is understood, saving passengers travelling on their summer holidays from facing disruption. 

JSO said 'the international uprising begins' and that a number of people were arrested 'in two locations on the perimeter road around Heathrow'. 

Activist Sean Callaghan, 29, was one of the nine people to be arrested at the London airport yesterday.

In a video posted by the eco group, Callaghan said: 'I went into environmental education because with my life, I wanted to inspire, enthuse, and motivate students about the natural world and the outside environment. 

'I'm taking action with Just Stop Oil at airports this summer because it is impossible for me to see a way in which we can inspire and enthuse students about the future of our planet.' 

Sally Davidson, who was also arrested at Heathrow Airport, said: 'Our new government must take swift and meaningful action to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030, by establishing a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels. Anything less is a death sentence.' 

Arrested activist Adam Beard said: 'We need immediate and decisive action to prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis becoming reality, with all the death and suffering that will bring. 

'Our government must work with other nations to enact a treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.' 

A Heathrow spokesman said yesterday: 'Thanks to swift action from the police and airport colleagues, there is no disruption to passenger journeys. Heathrow continues to operate as normal today. 

'We are in full agreement that the aviation industry needs to decarbonise, but unlawful and irresponsible protest activity will not be tolerated.'

Heathrow Airport said a record 39.8 million passengers travelled through its terminals in the first half of the year.

That is up 7.3% from 37.1 million passengers during the same period last year.

In the first half of 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the total was 38.8 million.