The Home Office today announced it will pay £3.2 million towards the £6 million bill for policing the Camp Climate protest at Hoo.

A spokesman for the Home Office said:"Kent Police have asked for more money and this request is currently being considered."

Kent Police revealed this week that the bill for for officers, accommodation, air support and planning during the week-long protest in August was £5.9 million, though the total could rise.

Up to 1,400 officers from 26 police forces were involved as about 2,000 climate change campaigners converged on Hoo to protest at plans for a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth.

The force said it could be some time before the final figures are calculated.

A spokesman said: “The current, estimated cost stands at around £5.9 million. However, it will be some time before all final costs arising from the operation are known as invoices are yet to be received from some suppliers and, for example, overtime claims for all of the officers involved will take some time to resolve. Furthermore, there are other costs to consider, such as ongoing legal costs from any litigation or claims that may take some time to reach a conclusion.”

The force is negotiating with the Home Office to cover some of the costs.

Andy Rogers, from Wainscott, spokesman for the local Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway, believes the policing costs could have been better spent.

He said: “One really does have to ask whether that £6 million of what is essentially taxpayers' money, would have been better spent on holding a moratorium on coal-fired power stations such as the one at Kingsnorth or providing an intimidating and oppressive presence at what was essentially a peace camp.”

Claire Samson, from Wainscott, added: “I was at the camp for the whole week and it needed nowhere near as much in the way of policing as it had. It was a peaceful protest and by the nature of the way it was organised was self policing. What a totally unmitigated waste of money.”