Five people were arrested after pro-Palestine activists blocked the entrances to a business park - with some even attaching themselves to vehicles.

Several police cars were pictured at the scene of the protests organised by members of Palestine Action at Discovery Park in Sandwich.

The group says its aim is to restrict access to Instro Precision, a factory on the estate which produces military technology claimed to be bound for Israeli forces.

Eyewitness Wayne Hobson says one of the protests - next to the Shell petrol station in Montagu Road - started at about 6am, with activists pictured lying in the road.

He said: “We counted at one point around 12 police cars in attendance.”

A police spokesman said: “Five people, aged between 21 and 34, were arrested on suspicion of offences including locking on and going equipped to lock-on and they have all been taken into custody.

“Police left the scene at around 12.30pm.”

Palestine Action says the factory, a subsidiary of Israeli drone manufacturer Elbit Systems, produces a range of weaponry and military equipment which is used in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

As a result of the blockade, the group says it has “once again halted production” at Instro.

A Palestine Action spokesperson said: "It has been clear that there is no route through government to ending the supply of British weapons to Israel's war machine.

“Forty thousand Palestinians have been massacred in Israel's genocide, [with] yet more now starving, wounded and displaced.

“Our government is complicit in all of that - coordinated direct action to immobilise sites of Israeli weapons production is the only possible response."

This is the third time protesters have targeted the site.

Last year dozens of pro-Palestine protesters blocked the entrances to the factory, and in March members claimed to have “successfully shut down” Instro Precision.

The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups has taken place mostly in and near the Gaza Strip since October 7.

It started when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel which saw 1,200 killed - the country’s worst loss of life since its founding in 1948.

On October 27, the Israeli military launched a large-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

A Discovery Park spokesperson said: “Instro Precision is an independent company that owns and operates a plot of land within the larger Discovery Park campus.

“While we respect the right to protest, we do not condone criminal or disruptive behaviours that impact on tenant companies within Discovery Park.

“As an international centre for life sciences and innovation, our tenants are actively engaged in developing life-saving technologies and products.”

KentOnline has approached Instro for comment.