Sheffield trees dispute prompts 'scenes you'd expect in Putin's Russia'

Five people have so far been arrested in bitter battle, with Nick Clegg criticising the police for detaining peaceful protesters

It was, said Nick Clegg, "something you'd expect to see in Putin's Russia, rather than a Sheffield suburb". Council contractors and police had descended on a particularly desirable street in his Hallam constituency under the cover of darkness, "dragged" people out of bed to move their cars and detained peaceful protesters - "all to chop down eight trees", he wrote in a local paper.

So far five people have been arrested in relation to a long-running and increasingly bitter battle over the fate of Sheffield's trees, including a 70-year old emeritus professor and a 71-year-old retired teacher, both women. On Thursday two men will become the first of the city's tree protesters to appear in court, charged under trade union legislation, following a protest on 2 November.