Two in court after Dippy the Diplodocus protest

The diplodocus replica is more than a century old and has 292 bones

Two people have appeared in court following a Just Stop OIl protest near a dinosaur exhibit.

Police were called to the Dippy the Diplodocus replica in the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry on Monday.

Two people were arrested after being tackled by security staff.

Victoria Lindsell, 67, and Daniel Knorr, 21, of Green Street, Oxford, are charged with having an article with intent to destroy or damage property.

Lindsell, of School Hill, Flecknoe, Warwickshire, and Knorr have been released on bail and will appear at Coventry Magistrates Court on 10 May.

Dippy the Diplodocus previously stood at the Natural History Museum before being unveiled in Coventry

The pair have been ordered not to enter the museum or carry coloured paint or powder with the purpose of destroying property.

Dippy, a 26-metre long (85ft) cast of a diplodocus skeleton began a three-year residency at the gallery in February and has proved popular with visitors.

It was previously seen by more than two million people on a UK tour after its 112-year stay in the Natural History Museum ended in 2017.