A couple were given a police escort on their way to say I do.

Dave and Denise Claughton, live just a few hundred yards away from Lodge Hill Farm, Hoo where, until Saturday, more than 1,500 eco-activists camped out to educate locals about climate change and finalise plans for an invasion of Kingsnorth Power Station.

The couple have thanked police for helping their big day run smoothly.

Bride Denise, 49, left her home in Dux Court Road by horse and carriage on Friday morning. She had to make her way through the police stop and search point and road checks to get to Frindsbury Cricket Club where the ceremony was taking place.

Dave, also 49, said: “I had arranged the horse and carriage as a surprise for Denise. We needed someone to set this up and I had always planned for this to be in the car park of the golf club, which is usually empty, but this was where the police stop and search point was located.

“I spoke to police because I was very concerned we wouldn’t be able to get through.

“But they were able to reserve a space in the car park so we could maintain the surprise for Denise and mark out an area so we could get out easily. Without the intervention of the police it would have been a disaster for her to get away from the house to the venue.

“And what was even better, they also provided us with a police escort in the form of two mounted officers and had their vehicles stopping any of the people from the camp getting in the way and spoiling the photographs.”

Dave and Denise were the first people to get married at Frindsbury Cricket Club and paid for a wedding licence for the venue.

Dave added: “It was a special place for us to get married because we met there in 2005.

“The day was also special to us, we picked it because it was 8.8.08 and nothing was going to stop us celebrating on that day.”

Officers cheered and took photographs as Denise set off for the ceremony. Dave said it really made the day.

He added: “Denise loved it and that was the most important thing. We has an absolutely fabulous day.”