PHILIP Beaven is disingenuous in complaining about police restrictions on the activities of animal rights protesters attempting to halt the construction of the new medical research laboratory at Oxford.

The "peaceful" tactics so far employed by these fanatics have been to target medical research staff by terrorising them with threatening letters and vandalising their cars.

Similar tactics have been employed against accessory firms, contractors have also received a tirade of threats and had their equipment damaged.

The most noteworthy of their escapades in recent years was for a group of balaclava-wearing, baseball bat-wielding zealots to ambush and attack a distinguished and respected cancer specialist.

Presumably, if ever any of these lion-hearted paladins should ever need treatment or medication resulting from breakthroughs flowing directly from humane research on animals, they would, of course, decline to accept it.

John P Hunter Kerry Close Shaw, Swindon