There were further protests at Ramsgate Port this morning as campaigners attempted to stop five lorries carrying live animal exports reaching a ship bound for Calais.

It is the start of a week of protesting by Kent Against Live Animal Exports (KAALE) as another shipment of livestock is expected to leave the port tomorrow morning.

It will be the fourth and fifth shipment of livestock to leave the port in seven weeks.

Campaigners say another shipment of live exports is due at Ramsgate Port on Wednesday at 9pm, with further protests beginning at 7.45pm.

KAALE co-founder Ian Driver said: “If you support animal welfare and oppose cruelty come and join our demonstrations and make a stand against this barbarity.

“There is no moral, ethical or scientific justification for subjecting animals to the cruelty of this so-called.

“It should be stopped now.”

Mr Driver also spoke in Parliament Square on August 29 against live exports and said this brought Ramsgate to “the forefront of the international struggle to ban the long distance transportation of live farm animals.”

Today, about 40 people stood in Harbour Approach Road while others surrounded the export vehicles, again shouting at drivers and banging on the windows of the cabs.

Police officers cleared the way for the lorries to pass through in to the port where they were loaded on to the Joline, the ship used to transport livestock from Ramsgate.

Campaigners say they will not give up protesting until they succeed and will head to Port of Dover on Friday at 11.45am when another livestock shipment is expected at 1pm.