snapier@thekmgroup.co.uk

The three women who chained themselves to a tree on the railway embankment at Whitstable in protest at the clearing of vegetation along the line have been issued with £50 fixed penalty notices for trespassing.

One of those three, Julie Wassmer, from Cromwell Road, Whitstable, was visited by British Transport Police on Thursday evening and questioned about the trio’s actions on Monday, May 28.

She said: “We have all been given fixed penalty notices and if we choose to pay then nothing else will happen.

"I was told that paying the fine was not an admission of guilt and it would not give us a record.

“It is a bit like a traffic ticket I guess, though a bit more complicated I think.

"I have three weeks in which to pay and I am now taking legal advice about it and considering my options.”