AN ECO-warrior from Burnley was among Greenpeace activists who boarded a ship to stop it from unloading its cargo of genetically modified soya at Liverpool.

Richard Watson, 35, was one of five protesters arrested in a late-night raid by police when they boarded the Iolcos Grace.

The Greenpeace activists were later released without charge on police bail until March 21.

They had been on board the ship for 17 hours. The environmentalists boarded the cargo ship off the coast of North Wales to prevent it from off-loading 60,000 tons of GM soya at Liverpool.

Some barricaded themselves in the anchor chain chamber while others stayed on deck.

It was not clear which group Mr Watson was in.

Once the protesters were removed by police, the ship headed back into the Atlantic although Greenpeace expects it will try again to dock at Liverpool.

A spokesman for the police said: "North Wales Police, assisted by officers from the police underwater search team, boarded the Iolcos Grace off Pont Lynas, Amlwch, Anglesey, shortly after 10pm on Friday.

"Five people, two of whom were female, were arrested and were taken to a police station.

The five have since been released on police bail and will return to a police station in North Wales at a later date while further inquiries are carried out."

The other four protesters were from Somerset, Sussex, London and Devon.

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