Protesters declared Drake's Island as nuclear-free

Members of the Trident Ploughshares group set up camp on Drake's Island off Plymouth last week.

District Judge Andrew Moon ordered the campaigners should vacate the island, which they had declared a nuclear-free state, by 1545 BST on Thursday.

Nearby Devonport base refits the navy's Vanguard nuclear missile submarines.

Drake's Island First fortifications built on the island in 1549 In 1583 Sir Francis Drake was made governor of the tiny island In the late 16th Century, barracks for 300 men were built on the island in case of a Spanish invasion After the Civil War, the island became a state prison for 25 years

About 12 campaigners set up camp in one of the 6.5-acre island's empty buildings and erected huge banners saying "Ban the Bomb" and "Scrap Trident" when they landed on the island last Friday.

Group spokeswoman Elizabeth Knight told the judge at Plymouth County Court that she and her fellow protesters would leave peacefully.

She said: "We do not claim to have a right to be on this island, but we did want to have the ability to say we want to have a nuclear-free Plymouth."

Devonport is the base for refits of the Royal Navy's Vanguard class nuclear-powered submarines, which are each capable of firing 16 Trident missiles with nuclear warheads.

Outside court, campaigner Michal Lovejoy, who was named the island's "mayor", said the group passed the time by planting trees and repairing derelict buildings.

She penned a letter, also signed by the mayors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, calling on civic heads worldwide to come out against war and for peace.

Dan McCauley has owned the island since 1995

The tiny island, which was owned by the Ministry of Defence until 1956, currently belongs to local businessman and former Plymouth Argyle Football Club chairman Dan McCauley.

Mr McCauley's firm, Rotolok, said in a statement: "The protesters have occupied the island, which is private property, without the owners' consent.

"The organisation in occupation portrays itself as a peaceful demonstration group.

"We trust that following the granting of this order the people will now vacate the property of their own accord, and it will not be necessary to actively remove them."