A TRIO of anti-nuclear protesters scaled trees on Tuesday in a bid to stop site preparation works going ahead as part of the Hinkley Point C development.

But site owner EDF Energy said the protest was somewhat premature as the only work currently planned on-site was for general tree maintenance.

The protesters issued a press statement on the morning of their action claiming "concerned locals" had occupied threatened, ancient trees.

One was quoted as saying he wanted to stop the development of the land, while the statement went on to criticise the Government's new nuclear policy.

But when the Free Press spoke to a protester, he had not heard of him and admitted the three were from the Shepton Mallet area rather than West Somerset or Sedgemoor.

The group's press statement added: "EDF's plans to disrupt lives and livelihoods by digging up the 400 acres of landscape and beautiful coastline in the coming weeks has already begun with the trees."

But an EDF spokesman said no work other than routine ground maintenance was being carried out.

"These people claimed to have ten protesters up the trees but, in fact, there were only three," he said.

"They claimed they were there to prevent the preparatory works but we haven't begun them yet.

"They were not local and it seems someone had just put two and two together and come up with the wrong answer."

The spokesman said EDF had written to people living locally to the site at the end of January advising them that work would be carried out to clear dead trees in the coming weeks.

The firm was given planning permission by West Somerset Council last year to carry out large-scale preparation works in anticipation of securing a development consent order to build Hinkley C.

That work had been delayed until a legal agreement tying all parties into the scheme had been signed.

As exclusively revealed in the Free Press, the document was finally signed by major Stogursey landowner Lady Elizabeth Gass last month, paving the way for site preparation works to begin.

The protest proved shortlived as two of the three protesters left of their own accord at 9.30am on Wednesday morning, while the third went after being threatened with arrest by police.

The EDF spokesman confirmed a large number of security staff and police officers were in situ but denied claims from the group South West Against Nuclear Network that the group had been "evicted" by a five-man climbing team.

It was later confirmed the last remaining protester had travelled from Taunton.