THE day before the first anniversary of last year's fuel protests demonstrators once again blockaded Oil Sites Road.

On Wednesday, it wasn't fuel protesters but animal rights activists who brought the area to a standstill in a nine-hour protest against Shell.

Supporters of SHAC ­- Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty ­- chained themselves to concrete blocks in a protest at the oil giant's connection with animal testing laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

Police were called in and arrested a total of 27 campaigners when they began to release themselves shortly before 3pm.

SHAC spokesman Natasha Taylor said: 'We believe we have achieved a great deal through this protest. It lasted nine hours and involved 34 individuals, which may well be a record and our campaign against Shell is far from over.

'We have a whole range of strategies up our sleeves and there is no doubt they will be deployed unless we receive an unequivocal statement from Shell saying they will not use Huntingdon Life Sciences. This action is just one part of a national campaign surrounding Shell that began six weeks ago. The company should not underestimate the overwhelming public feeling public feeling about this subject.'

By 10am 27 people, seven at the Boat Museum end, three at the junction with Bridges Road and 17 at the Hapsford end of Oil Sites Road had cut off all main routes to the site.

Traffic was gridlocked and police advised motorists to keep away from the surrounding roads.

Activist Sarah Hill, who was at the scene, said the aim of the protest was to close down HLS. 'We have a twofold plan, firstly to get financial institutions to back away from supporting Huntingdon and we have had a huge amount of success in achieving this aim. Secondly to get customers who use the laboratory to stop these barbaric experiments.'

She claimed that in Shell's latest experiment they tested a plastic where animals were used in inhalation experiments.

'But Huntingdon have admitted their experiments don't often work and animals suffer needlessly,' said Ms Hill, who described herself as an animal rescue worker.

'Our message to Shell is clear and simple - pull out of using animals in experiments. All the protesters are aware of the consequences and we know we face arrest when the police decide to move us but we are prepared for that.'