Assault probe after council squirrel protest

Footage of the alleged incident was released by Knowsley Council

A police investigation has been launched after protesters outside a council meeting claimed they had been assaulted by a security guard.

Footage of the alleged incident appears to show an altercation between a man, a woman and the woman's sister, who was dressed as a squirrel.

They had gone to Huyton on Merseyside on Wednesday in protest at plans to extend a cemetery into woodland.

Merseyside Police said it was reviewing the CCTV footage.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, one of the women alleged the security guard had "snatched my phone off me and walked down the road out of sight with my phone".

The protesters gathered outside the Municipal Buildings during the council meeting

The woman alleged both she and her sister had been pushed.

On the CCTV recording, a male voice can be heard saying "Please, come on… everyone, come on, let’s go".

"You want your phone back, come on, off site".

Following the alleged incident on Westmorland Road at about 18:20 GMT, Knowsley council released security camera footage, “so people can see for themselves what happened”.

The council also criticised protesters, alleging they had been "encouraging children to put themselves at risk by climbing on buildings".

Knowsley council said security had been provided by an agency, and that "given the serious nature of the allegations, we immediately contacted Merseyside Police".

Merseyside Police said it was looking for information about a man who had left the scene on a black Yamaha motorbike.