Life inside leafy Midlands village with protest camps and 'seven-mile' detours

Residents living in a leafy Midlands village say they face regular traffic disruption amid ongoing protests outside a drone engine factory - with some villagers forced to make 'seven mile' detours. Protests have been taking place outside UAV Engines Ltd in Shenstone for the past 10 years, which were peaceful at first but have increased in hostility over time, company bosses say.

The factory manufactures repurposed Norton motorbike engines which it says are used in drones for 'defensive and surveillance' purposes. Palestine Action, an activist group which has been leading the protests for a number of years, claims that UAV Engines exports its engines to Israel for use by its military.

But the company, which is owned by the Israeli-based defence contractor Elbit Systems, says this is categorically false. UAV Engines Ltd is based on an industrial estate at the western edge of Shenstone, a village with a population of 7,409 people and located 13 miles north of Birmingham in Staffordshire.

READ MORE: Inside Midlands factory where scared workers are 'tailed home' and 'beaten by protesters'

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It's located along a country road called Lynn Lane which features a grassy field and ancient woodland opposite. Sometimes, protestors camp out there and hang Palestinian flags and banners on the hedgerow along the road. Staffordshire Police also close Lynn Lane occasionally if officers feel there is a safety risk.

The latest demonstration saw a camp erected early Monday morning, July 17, which has since been cleared, Staffordshire Police say. Tents were pictured in the field with banners reading 'evict Elbit', 'Gaza solidarity encampment' and 'Genocide Road, Shenstone', among other messages - as Staffordshire Police announced it had arrested a 50-year-old woman from Birmingham in connection with the protest.

Meanwhile hundreds of protestors are expected to descend on the village on Sunday, June 23, where they will set up music and loud speakers. Amid the ongoing protests, villagers caught in the middle spoke about 'disruption' to their daily lives.

A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Everybody is against them due to the disruption to traffic and travel. What are they actually doing apart from stopping traffic and abusing traffic? I have seen videos of people shouting things through windows."

A second woman, who also wished to be unnamed, said: "Everyone has got their own beliefs. The one problem, though, is when they shut the road and it disrupts the businesses and people going about their daily lives. The police shouldn't allow it. But I suppose they close the road on safety grounds so people don't get hurt."

A third woman simply said: "It doesn't affect me but I would rather not say anything." And one man said he didn't really understand what was taking place but he had letters through the post about the ongoing protests.

But a 76-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had to drive up to Lichfield via Wall, around 3.5 miles, and back again for a car appointment on the trading estate where UAV Engines Ltd is based, after Lynn Lane was closed.

He said: "I think they should ban it, really. The company said they don't provide drones to Israel.

"They block the road off. I had a car booked in for a service on the trading estate. I had to go all the way to Lichfield, to Wall, to come round to come within two feet of where they were protesting. For people who work at the factory, it's just a disruption."

In January, following a large protest which saw hundreds descend outside the factory, a Palestine Action spokesperson addressed concerns about Lynn Lane being blocked off and villagers having to travel miles out of their way. A spokesperson at the time said: "During a protest at the start of January, hundreds came to protest the factory which spilled into the road for a couple of hours. The minor inconvenience caused is incomparable to the destruction UAV Engine's weaponry leads to in Palestine."

Addressing concerns that protest camps were disturbing wildlife in the woods opposite UAV Engines Ltd, a Palestine Action spokesperson also said in January: "The activists who camped in the woodlands are environmentalists who have dedicated their lives to protecting the environment and wildlife. They preserved the area whilst taking constant action against a murder factory."

Ahead of the protest planned for Sunday, the demonstration's organiser called Sophie G said: "A YouGov poll in April showed that 56% of the British public support banning arms exports to Israel. But despite this, their voices are not being addressed in the general election or listened to by the leaders of the main political parties. The protest in Shenstone on Sunday will be a carnival of humanity to oppose this criminal trade."

In response to the story, a spokesperson for UAV Engines Limited said: "We condemn this continued campaign of violence and intimidation, which brings anti-social behaviour to the village and an area of ancient woodland beloved by local residents. We will continue to work with the authorities and police to prevent this illegal disruption.

"The accusation that UAV Engines Limited are exporting engines to Israel for use by the Israeli military is categorically false. This is misinformation propagated by a group attempting to illegally prevent a lawful UK business from operating.

"UAV Engines Limited proudly offers engineering excellence, with locally designed and produced engines built by experienced and long serving staff delivered to the UK armed forces and to customers around the world."