McDonald's: Animal rights group protesting for a second day

About 50 activists are stopping deliveries leaving four McDonald's depots across the UK

An animal rights campaign group, called Animal Rebellion, have been protesting at four McDonald's distribution centres for a second day to try and stop deliveries to restaurants around the country.

The group said they aimed to cause "significant disruption" to McDonald's as the restaurants restock over the weekend.

Around 50 protesters have been using using trucks and bamboo structures to stop lorries from leaving the centres in Hemel Hempstead, Basingstoke, Coventry and Heywood, Greater Manchester.

Ten people have been arrested, eight at protests in Basingstoke in Hampshire and two others in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.

Police Chief Inspector Matt Reeves said: "Everyone has the right to free speech and protest, however, officers will take necessary action against the few who deliberately choose to act outside the law."

Protesters have tied themselves to bamboo structures which are blocking the depot's entrance and exit

The group has said it is targeting McDonald's "for its role in the climate emergency" and wants McDonald's to commit to becoming fully plant-based by 2025.

McDonald's has around 1,300 fast food outlets in the UK, most of which get their food products from one of these distribution centres.

On Saturday, McDonald's said it was "assessing the impact on deliveries to our restaurants and to menu items".

"We apologise to our customers for any disappointment caused," it added.

Animal Rebellion spokesman James Ozden, at a protest in Coventry, accused the meat and dairy industry of "destroying our planet".

Mr Ozden told the BBC the meat and dairy industry was "causing huge amounts of rainforest deforestation, emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gases and killing billions of animals each year".

He said: "The only sustainable and realistic way to feed 10 billion people is with a plant-based food system. Organic, free-range and 'sustainable' animal-based options simply aren't good enough."

In November last year, the fast food giant announced plans to introduce a line of plant-based meat alternatives called "McPlant" in 2021.

In a tweet Animal Rebellion called for McDonald's to personally engage with the activists at the protest sites, saying: "We're waiting for them to come talk to us, or we'll stop their distribution to all 1,300 restaurants ALL DAY."