ANTI-war campaigners caused hours of disruption yesterday after they encased their arms in concrete outside the main gates of a Suffolk airbase.The five women and one man from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) locked themselves to lampposts outside Gate 1 at RAF Lakenheath at about 7am.

ANTI-war campaigners caused hours of disruption yesterday after they encased their arms in concrete outside the main gates of a Suffolk airbase.

The five women and one man from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) locked themselves to lampposts outside Gate 1 at RAF Lakenheath at about 7am.

Around 20 police officers were called to the scene before the protesters, who were campaigning against the base's involvement in operations in Afghanistan, were freed by a special cutting unit by about 11am.

All six protesters, aged between 23 and 68, were arrested in connection with obstructing the highway.

The demonstrators, who locked themselves to lampposts outside the base, joined hands with each other before their arms were covered with concrete and further encased with special tubing.

Because of the difficulties encountered in releasing the protesters, the special unit was brought in.

The demonstration aimed to mark the sixth anniversary of bombing operations in Afghanistan.

The protesters claimed to have new evidence about the scale of bombings by F15-E Strike Eagle planes of the 492 Fighter Squadron based at Lakenheath, during their recent four-month deployment at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the MoD Police said all six of those taken to Bury St Edmunds police station were believed to be British nationals.