POLICE last night ended a demonstration in which 10 nuclear weapons protesters had chained themselves together for 11 hours in a mock submarine, blocking the Royal Mile outside the Holyrood parliament.

Officers had been on hand throughout the day, remaining relaxed and not telling the group to move. They closed the Royal Mile, which already had extensive roadwork blockages.

But at 9pm, with about 20 officers present, they moved in with chain-cutters to dismantle the protest, warning that the road blockage was an offence.

Earlier, Rosie Kane, the Scottish Socialist MSP, had said she would stay in the 25ft silver plastic structure indefinitely Carolyn Leckie, another SSP MSP, was ejected from the chamber of the Scottish Parliament during first minister's questions, when she displayed a placard supporting the protest.