GREENPEACE activists have been fined more than £3,000 for breaking into a Kent power plant.

The campaigners, who staged their protest at Kingsnorth Power Station in October, appeared before Medway magistrates on Wednesday.

All 18 defendants pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated trespass. None of them had links to Kent.

The court heard how they broke into the site at approximately 5am on Monday, October 8.

Fifteen demonstrators stopped conveyor belts carrying coal into the plant and chained themselves to machinery, while the other three barricaded themselves inside an oil store room.

Michael Munn, prosecuting, said: "Their actions caused the station to shut down at a massive cost to the company."

Mike Schwarz, defending, said: "The defendants felt impelled to take the action they took. They got involved out of a passion and commitment to environmental issues."

Fifteen of the defendants were ordered to pay £200 fines. The other three, who are currently students, were charged a reduced £150 fee.

All 18 were also ordered to pay £75 costs to the court.