Twenty-three people were arrested in Wiltshire yesterday after hundreds of New Age travellers stormed and then occupied the neolithic structure of Stonehenge, preventing a group of druids and astrologers from celebrating the summer solstice.
The arrests came after a perimeter fence was pushed down and a group of people sat on top of the ancient stones, which have enormous significance for druids.
The disturbance began at about 2 a.m. when about 600 people gathered at the perimeter fence and pushed it down. Then about 400 people walked towards Stonehenge and occupied the site, refusing to leave.
As a result, a ceremony planned by druids, astrologers and local councillors to mark the longest day of the year had to be cancelled.
A druid who planned to attend the event said there might have been some confusion as to who was allowed onto the site following the lifting of a four-year exclusion zone order by the House of Lords earlier this year.
"Not everyone was allowed to go to the stones, but this had not been made clear to the hundreds of people who had turned up. If there was more publicity telling people where they could and could not go, I think there would have been less trouble. It has ruined the occasion, which is obviously a time of great importance to us," he said.
Supt Andy Hollingshead, Wiltshire Police divisional controller, accused a minority of the travellers of displaying "selfish behaviour", believing they had the right to "do exactly what they want with no thought for others or the consequences".
Mr Kevin Carlyon, head of the British White Witches, condemned the conduct of some of the protesters, one of whom was seen dancing nude on top of the stones. "Stonehenge should be a place of worship. It is not for sex, drugs and rock and roll," he said.
Rejecting criticism that they had ruined the event, Mr Simon Sturrit, a youth worker from Wiltshire, said most people had come to Stonehenge to enjoy the rising of the sun.
"There was no violence, there was no trouble, no one had any intention of causing anything like that. It was just people who were denied access from the Henge wanting to go there to celebrate the summer solstice," he said.
Last night, English Heritage, the organisation that owns the Stonehenge site, withdrew permission for hundreds of specially invited guests to visit the stone circle after the disruption caused by the 400 people who stormed the site.
Although the stones were not damaged, English Heritage said the risk of future damage was too great to allow further visits.