Disabled 85-year-old woman dragged across busy road by police at fracking protest

Exclusive: Anne Power accuses Lancashire police of 'utter viciousness' over incident that left her 'fuming'

A disabled 85-year-old woman was left bruised after being dragged across a busy road by three police officers during an anti-fracking protest.

Anne Power, a Green Party member and anti-fracking campaigner, was sitting outside a fracking site near Little Plumpton, Lancashire, when a scrum of officers lifted her from her seat.

Video of the incident, seen by The Independent, shows her being dragged across a major road by her shoulders, with her heels scraping along the ground.

Asked afterwards why the police had not carried the pensioner properly, with her legs supported, a senior officer said they would do so “next time”.

Ms Power said she was left with bruises on her shoulders and was so angry that she has struggled to sleep since.

The retired teacher and counsellor, who has had two hip replacement operations and usually uses a walking stick, told The Independent she feared the officers would break her bones.

She said: “I was fuming…I didn’t know what injuries they might cause me so I relaxed totally and let it happen because if you fight and resist, something will break.”

She said she had been left “absolutely exhausted” by the ordeal and had struggled to sleep since.

Having initially just felt angry about the incident, she was at her weekly singing practice the next day when “it suddenly overwhelmed me”.

She said: “I’d been angry all the time but it was just exhaustion then, and terrible sadness that this whole battle [against fracking] is not being won yet. The shock just hit me.”

Anne Power said police had failed to protect protesters from oncoming lorries

The pensioner, who in the video is wearing a green fleece, glasses and a yellow woolly hat, can be seen sitting in a folding chair by the side of the road, along with other protesters. She is then surrounded by around 12 police officers, several of whom lift her from her seat.

Three officers – two women and a man – then drag her around 10 metres across the busy road.

Three other officers follow behind but do not attempt to support Ms Power’s legs to stop her feet dragging along the tarmac.

Ms Power described the incident as “utter viciousness on the part of the police” and said she had seen other protesters treated in a similar war.

She said: “I’ve seen young women hidden under policeman kneeling on them so that I could only hear their screams."

In footage captured by fellow protesters, a senior officer appears to admit his colleagues should have lifted the 85-year-old’s feet to make sure she was fully supported.

A police inspector is asked why the officers had not taken hold of Ms Power’s legs when she was being carried.

He replies: “We will next time, yeah.”

The site in Lancashire where Ms Power was protesting is owned by energy company Cuadrilla. It was revealed in August that police had used force against protesters at the site 165 times since the start of July alone.

Ms Power said she had sat down and refused to move after almost being hit by a lorry entering the facility. She said another protester had been struck by the vehicle and claimed “negligent” police officers had done nothing to clear the crowd from the lorry’s path.

She said: “There was no attempt to protect us or warn us. It was really outrageous behaviour on the police’s part and on the lorry driver’s.”

The incident took place just a day after Ms Power was awarded a Green Party “Green Hero” award at the party’s autumn conference in Harrogate for her work protesting against fracking.

In the video, another protester is heard describing the incident as “one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen here”.

After the ordeal, Ms Power can be seen being comforted by other protesters. Asked if she is physically OK, she replies: “No I’m not. My shoulders are hurting.”

One of her friends even suggests an ambulance should be called to check she is not seriously injured.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, told The Independent: “It is extremely distressing to see one of our valued older members dragged across a road by police for peacefully protesting fracking.

“Anne is understandably shaken and we stand with her in full solidarity. Fracking is dirty, dangerous and unnecessary. The community in Lancashire said they didn’t want it and we will not stop protesting until we win.”

Fellow Green Party member Tina Rothery, who witnessed the incident, said: “The police behaved as thugs when they dragged and manhandled Anne across the A583. Nothing warranted their treatment of this dignified woman.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary said no complaints had been made and no officers had been disciplined over the incident.

He said: “No complaint has been received about this matter but we will review our tactics, as we constantly do in any event, to ensure we are adhering to best practice.

“If anyone does wish to complain they can do so by visiting our website.”