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A man from Shepway and five other Greenpeace activists have been acquitted of criminal damage charges following their protest at a coal-fired power station in north Kent last year.

Ben Stewart from Lyminge, and the other group members were accused in Maidstone Crown Court of causing nearly £30,000 of damage to the Kingsnorth power station near Hoo.

They argued in court that the protest was lawful because it aimed to prevent damaging emissions, and the jury cleared them in a majority verdict.

Emily Hall, 34, Huw Williams, 41, Ben Stewart, 34, Kevin Drake, 44, and Will Rose, 29, scaled the coal-burning power station's chimney and painted the name "Gordon" on it.

The court was told they had planned to daub "Gordon, bin it" in a reference to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but were threatened with a High Court injunction and arrested.

Another activist, Tim Hewke, 48, was accused of helping organise the 30-hour protest from the ground.

The protest on the 650ft chimney last October was against plans for new coal-fired units at the plant to supply electricity to 1.5 million homes.

Outside the court, Greenpeace activist Mr Stewart said the verdict was "a tipping point for the climate change movement".

He said: "When 12 normal people say it is legitimate for a direct action group to shut down a coal-fired power station because of the harm it does to our planet then where does that leave government energy policy?"

Mr Stewart called for "clean technologies" to be used instead of coal.

And he said: "This is a huge blow for ministers and their plans for new coal-fired power stations."