Animal rights activists were outnumbered by police during a day of action outside a village laboratory.

About five protesters from the pressure group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) held a noisy demonstration at the offices of Dow AgroSciences in Letcombe Regis, near Wantage, yesterday. The demonstration was part of a series targeting companies connected Huntingdon Life Sciences. Dow, which produces agricultural weedkillers and insecticides, has previously used Huntingdon Life Sciences to test its products.

Insp Stewart Haveron, of Wantage police, said: "Our role is to allow people to demonstrate peacefully and within the law."

Rocky Rowe, government and public affairs director at Dow, said: "We recognise some people have concerns and spend time working to find other methods of testing. However, we can't rule out using Huntingdon Life Sciences in the future."