AN Essex man has been arrested in connection with a Just Stop Oil protest in which orange paint powder was sprayed at Stonehenge.

Wiltshire Police said the man aged in his 30s, who is the third person arrested in connection with the incident, was detained by Met Police officers on Thursday.

He has been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting criminal damage, aiding and abetting unauthorised entry and damage to an ancient monument, and aiding and abetting aggravated trespass.

A spokesman for the force confirmed that the man had now been released on bail.

She added: “Two other people, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 20s, previously arrested in connection with the incident remain on bail while we continue with our investigation.

“We are continuing to work with English Heritage and partners to progress our enquiries.”

Following the protest, English Heritage said experts had quickly removed the orange powder from the stones, as there was a risk it would harm rare lichens growing on the stones.

The charity confirmed there appeared to be no visible damage from the paint but the act of removing it could erode the fragile stone and damage the lichens.

This is just one of the incidents revolving around the group in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, two women were arrested after an incident at Stansted Airport, where a jet was vandalised with orange spray paint being used on the side of it.

Jennifer Kowalski, 28 and Cole Macdonald, 22 both pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage and interfering with national infrastructure.

In the last couple of days, 27 people have been arrested, who police believe are planning to disrupt even more airports this summer.

The group announced earlier this month they vowed to disrupt airports throughout the summer holidays.

They have been taken into custody and police believe some of those arrested are "key organisers" of the group.

All arrests were made under a section of the Public Order Act, that makes it illegal to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure.