FOUR people were arrested yesterday - and later released without charge - after the Fathers 4 Justice group staged a sit-down protest inside a Newport legal firm.

The group, dressed in decontamination suits, stormed into the Harding Evans main office at North Street in the city centre at 2pm blowing horns and shouting through loud hailers.

Fathers 4 Justice are campaigning for the rights of parents and grandparents who claim they are unfairly denied access to their children by the family courts.

The group have become notorious for their high profile publicity stunts, the most notorious of which saw them throw purple flour over Tony Blair in the House of Commons.

Police were called to the Nepwort firm and arrested a number of the protesters but later released them without charge.

A spokesman for Harding Evans said: "A group of six to eight men, mostly masked and dressed in contamination suits, came into our building armed with claxons, microphones, loud hailers and cameras, making an appalling noise.

"It was very frightening and unpleasant for some of our staff and clients. Other members of staff tried to seize their microphones and to persuade them to stop the disruption and leave the building but they refused and continued for about 20 minutes.

"We have no idea why we were targeted, although it might be because we have the biggest family department of any law firm in South Wales.

"If there are any genuine cases of fathers who have not had lawful access to their children we have every sympathy but this is a case for the family judges to decide."