Two protesters have been arrested by Essex Police after they cut their way into the private aviation area of London Stansted Airport and dowsed two aircraft with orange paint.
A spokesperson for the airport said "Shortly after 5am, Essex Police arrested two protesters who had entered the private aviation area of the airfield, away from the runway and main passenger terminal. - No flights were disrupted, and the airport and flights are operating as normal".
Essex Police said: "Officers were on the scene within minutes and detained two people.
The airport and flights are operating as normal.
A 22-year-old woman from Brighton, and a 28-year-old woman from Dumbarton, have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure."
The climate protest group Just Stop Oil said they were targeting Taylor Swift's private jet which they said was at the airport ahead of the Wembley Stadium leg of her Eras Tour scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
However, it is understood that Taylor Swift's private aircraft was not at the airport and for security reasons, such as this latest incident, she doesn't use it when on tour.
A worker at the airport said the damage to the two aircraft could run into thousands due to the corrosive nature and non-airworthiness of the paint used by the protesters.
The eco-terrorist group that want fossil fuels to be phased out by 2030 have promised a summer of resistance where they will attack other targets. Earlier this week members of the group covered some of the ancient stones of Stonehenge in orange paint powder.
A security review is underway at the airport and Essex Police will increase its presence at the airport for the summer due to a heightened risk. Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “I would like to reassure passengers and the wider public that we are well prepared and resourced to deal with incidents of this nature.
Almost immediately after we were made aware of this incident, which took place away from the main passenger terminal, we were on the scene. We maintain a constant presence at the airport and this presence will be heightened over the summer period. We have a good working relationship with Stansted Airport to ensure you can go about your travels with minimal impact. We are not anti-protest but we will always take action where criminal acts take place.”