At the time Arbib, an experienced photographer who has covered protests like these for seventeen years, who was covering the protests for the Guardian and BBC Wildlife, was standing on public property, having just photographed trees in the park being cut down at the park by npower contractors.

As the security guards approach, he can be heard on the video soundtrack reassuring them: “I’ve no interest in taking pictures of you guys, alright ? None whatsoever.”

During the incident, which was recorded by Arbib on video, the solicitors repeatedly refused to say who they were working on behalf of.

In the clip, the security guards are seen videoing the serving of the injunctions.

Arbib told EPUK: “I have been covering these protests for some time now, so I know the security guards were unlikely to lay a finger on me. But had I been younger or less experienced, I would have found it an intimidating experience”.

Editorial Photographers UK | Npower places injunction on EPUK member covering environmental protest

What npower is doing at Radley Lakes should concern us all. Not just because they are taking waste ash from Didcot power station, which contains such things as arsenic, and using this to fill in an old gravel pit which is the home for wildlife including Red Kites. What is perhaps more concerning is the way this large company is using the courts to prevent the media reporting on what it is doing.

The report on the experiences of Adrian Arbib, a professional photographer and member of Editorial Photographers UK goes on to explain :

When initially contacted by EPUK, npower said that the injunction only applied to protesters, and not bona fide press photographers.

“This is nothing to do with the press”, said a spokesperson. “ This is to do with the named persons on that injunction. It is not intended to bind the media in any shape or form”

However, when pressed to explain why a credentialled press photographer had been served with an injunction by their solicitor, npower said: “The injunction does not stop media reporting. It is just designed to prevent any details being published (photos and personal details) which might lead to the identification of individuals working at the site.”

However, this would appear to contradict the wording of the injunction, which prevents “the Protesters….photographing or videoing the Protected Persons”. Earlier in the injunction, the term “protesters” is defined to include “any person who has been given notice of the terms of this Order”.

Indeed it is difficult to imagine how npower could not “restrict media reporting” since Arbib or any other photographers served with the injunction will now not be allowed to photograph any of the company’s activities at the site.

UK Indymedia reports that it’s not just the Press who are being gagged :

Anyone who visits the lakes is likely to be followed round by a pair of burly security guards who are looking for the opportunity to have a confrontation. Someone visited this morning and reported his path barred by three security men from NPower, threatening that if he tried to go past them, he was in breach of the “injunction” and they would have him arrested because no one is allowed within 5 feet of a Security Guard or NPower’s property.

UK Indymedia | Radley Lakes Injunctions

We all need to be aware of this trend and expose and discuss it before it becomes commonplace. For more on Radley Lakes visit their website or sign the e-petition.