Third person arrested after orange paint powder sprayed at Stonehenge

A third person has been arrested in connection with a Just Stop Oil protest in which orange paint powder was sprayed at Stonehenge .

Wiltshire Police said the man aged in his 30s, from Essex , was detained by Met Police officers on Thursday.

He has been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting criminal damage, aiding and abetting unauthorised entry and damage to an ancient monument, and aiding and abetting aggravated trespass.

A spokeswoman for the force confirmed that the man had now been released on bail.

She added: “Two other people, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 20s, previously arrested in connection with the incident remain on bail while we continue with our investigation.

“We are continuing to work with English Heritage and partners to progress our enquiries.”

Following the protest, English Heritage said experts had quickly removed the orange powder from the stones, as there was a risk it would harm rare lichens growing on the stones.

The charity confirmed there appeared to be no visible damage from the paint but the act of removing it could erode the fragile stone and damage the lichens.