Jason Hatch, 32, Patrick Lennon, 47, David Pyke, 48, all of Cheltenham, and Mark Peacock, 31, from Bristol, scaled Clifton Suspension Bridge in February.

They are charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act that their behaviour caused harassment, alarm or distress.

Fellow fathers' rights demonstrators are staging a rooftop protest at the North Somerset Magistrates' Court.

Members of the protest group - also dressed as superheroes - were believed to have climbed on to the roof of the building in Weston-super-Mare at 0420BST on Wednesday.

Bridge closed

A spokesman for the group said: "We felt we ought to show support and sympathy for the situation they are in."

Magistrates were told how on Monday February 2 at 0630 GMT, Mr Hatch, Mr Lennon, Mr Peacock and Mr Pyke climbed the bridge, a Grade One listed building.

Prosecuting, Graham Arnall said: "As a result the bridge was closed to traffic throughout Monday February 2, and that evening the bridge was completely closed to pedestrians and traffic for safety reasons."

He said the position of the defendants made it dangerous for anyone to cross the bridge and "traffic chaos ensued throughout Bristol", until the men came down the following morning.

The four accepted after their arrests that they had taken part in the demonstration, but they deny offences under the Public Order Act.

Mr Arnall said: "The Crown say that this protest or demonstration stepped over the mark from being a demonstration into a criminal offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act."