FIFTEEN people will go on trial today after they were pre-emptively arrested amid plans to hold a climate camp near Drax power station in a multimillion-pound operation.

Police seized a wheelchair trackway, tents and cooking equipment last August as they made arrests for public order offences, including conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure.

According to Novara Media, police spent £3 million on the operation, which involved over 1,000 officers from 39 forces across the country.

Police faced criticism over their allocation of resources, with Britain facing a surge in far-right unrest at the time.

Campaign group Reclaim the Power had been due to hold a camp protesting against Drax wood-burning plant, which has been granted £2m a day in green subsidies despite being Britain’s largest carbon emitter.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to “going equipped to lock on” at Leeds magistrates’ court in March, where they will appear again today.

One of the defendants, Phil Ball, said: “It took the police nearly a year to bring in an ‘expert’ to say what of the items they seized could even be used to lock on with.

“This is about the state using some very blunt instruments to shut down protest.”

“They are trying to send a message that if you criticise the government or dare to speak the truth about dubious big businesses, they are going to use all the tools at their disposal to make things as difficult and unpleasant as possible.”

Another defendant, Laurie Wright, said: “Corporations like Drax can use the police as security and the state for billions in pocket money, all while our public services like schools and hospitals continue to crumble.”

Campaigners will hold a rally outside Leeds magistrates’ court from 9am, before demonstrating outside Drax’s public relations firm Grayling at noon.