ANIMAL rights campaigners took their protest outside the city centre this weekend in their latest demonstration against Oxford University's research lab.

About 50 protesters gathered in Banbury Road, Summertown, on Saturday afternoon.

Shoppers and families paused to listen to the campaigners before carrying on with their lunchtime routines.

The protesters congregated opposite Ewert Place, which is home to Isis Innovation, a subsidiary of Oxford University.

Scores of police officers and university security guards were at the demonstration, which lasted more than an hour and passed off peacefully.

Helen Nicholas, a member of Speak, had travelled from Cirencester to attend the protest against the £18m biomedical lab being built in South Parks Road.

She said: "Oxford University cannot be allowed to carry on building its research lab. It is important we raise public awareness about what is going on in Oxford."

Fifteen-year-old Martin Rayment travelled from Leicester with his mother to be at the demonstration.

He said: "What the university is doing is wrong and we want to make as many people aware of this as possible. That's what this protest is all about.

"More and more of the protests seem to be getting pushed out of the city centre, though."

At the last Saturday demonstration in July, four people were arrested when Speak campaigners attempted to protest in the city centre.

Thames Valley Police invoked a ban which, under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, prevented a demonstration from taking place at the planned place. It was then staged in Keble Road.