Eighteen people have been arrested as a blockade at a rural site earmarked for exploratory oil drilling by a fracking company was cleared.
The arrests came as around 80 anti-fracking campaigners gathered for a second day in the village of Balcombe, West Sussex, where Cuadrilla is poised to start test drilling.
Sussex Police said five people were held for allegedly causing a danger to road users, 12 for trying to stop drivers and other workers accessing the site under section 241 of the Trade Union Labour Relations Act, and one for assaulting a police officer.
A police spokesman said some had moved a tree across the entrance to the site, blocking access, but all arrests were made peacefully.
The village has become a focal point for direct-action campaigners Superintendent Steve Whitton said: "I have officers at the site to ensure people can demonstrate peacefully and help facilitate the rights of those to go about their lawful business - this means allowing workers to access the site.
"We are trying to carefully balance the needs of everyone and we will continue to show a proportionate response to the challenge we are facing.
"Our aim at Balcombe is to provide a safe and secure environment for protesters, residents and the contractors alike, to minimise disproportionate disruption to the local community and to prevent crime and disorder.
"Protestors are being asked to clear entrances to allow access to the site and where they have refused following repeated requests we have arrested them".
It is the second day running that activists have protested in the village A dozen of those arrested, including two teenage boys, have now been charged with offences linked to the protests.
The village has become a focal point for campaigners who have highlighted fears linked to fracking, including the use of chemicals.
The controversial method of hydraulic fracturing involves using high-pressure liquid pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release gas.
In Balcombe, some protesters, who include a former page three girl, a "professional clown" and veteran eco-campaigners, have vowed to mount a 24-hour campaign of resistance against fracking.
Some activists criticised the police response as "disproportionate". One critic, Ashley Williams, said: "The community are standing up for themselves against a company that is trying to poison them.
Fracking uses high-pressure liquid to split rock and release gas "As soon as regular people put their head above the parapet the state jumps in to defend the interests of a wealthy few."
Campaigners from No Fracking in Balcombe Society (NoFiBS) also criticised the police response and Cuadrilla's claims that it intends only to explore and not frack at this stage.
It said: "NoFiBS is deeply disappointed in the police role in facilitating the drilling for Cuadrilla when they have an obligation to facilitate protest. NoFiBS intend to continue to protest legally and peacefully on the verges by the site gate."
Campaigners called on the Government to change its policy on on-shore oil and gas exploration as they warned that oil rigs and frack sites could become widespread.
Police said the arrests were made to "ensure public safety" and came after talks between activists and protest liaison officers failed.
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