Eco warrior Swampy fined for Valero oil refinery protest

Hooper now lives near Llandeilo in a community of environmentalists

Eco warrior Swampy has been fined for blockading one of Britain's biggest oil refineries in an Extinction Rebellion protest. 

Daniel Marc Hooper, 46, attached himself to a concrete block at the entrance to the giant Valero plant in Pembrokeshire.

Hooper was fined £40 after admitting wilful obstruction of the highway.

He told magistrates at Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire: "I was doing it to prevent a greater crime.

"The eco crime of profit at the cost of the planet.

"I am pleading guilty, I can't really afford to keep coming to court."

Hooper found fame under nickname Swampy when he became the face of the Newbury by-pass protests in 1996. He lived in a tunnel under the roadworks.

Swampy made a guest appearance on the BBC's satirical news show Have I Got News For You

He went on to become a minor celebrity and appeared on TV's Have I Got News For You.

Swampy now lives in the village of Talley, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, known for its community of environmentalists who live in teepees.

He was one of 10 Extinction Rebellion protestors who blocked three entrances to the oil refinery last month.

Hooper, who represented himself in court, was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £32 surcharge.