Hertfordshire Constabulary say they were left with “many challenges” in responding to over 100 Extinction Rebellion protestors who blocked roads of newspaper printing presses.

The XR protestors targeted Newsprinters printing works at Broxbourne as well as other locations in England.

In Broxbourne the movement began on Friday (September 4) at around 10pm and the protestors were not cleared until 10am the day after.

The blockages around the country meant that delivery vans were unable to leave and distribute some articles including The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Donnachadh McCarthy, an XR spokesman at the Broxbourne demonstration, claimed only six police officers attended the protest.

Hertfordshire Constabulary said in a statement: 'The rights to protest are well established in this country and we remain committed to facilitating peaceful protest and ensuring compliance with the law."

But David Blunkett, the former Labour home secretary, was among groups criticising the response and told the Daily Mail: "I think they're mixing up historic debate about [union] picketing with protests relating to political issues, which can be dealt with through the normal democratic process."

While the number of officers that were deployed is unconfirmed at the moment, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd said that officers were put in a “difficult and complex operation”.

Mr Lloyd said: “I have always championed free speech, of which protest is a key part, but I am very concerned that the focus of this Extinction Rebellion action has been our free press.

“This will have dismayed most reasonable people, including me. The actions went beyond legitimate protest and Hertfordshire police rightly took firm action to end this blockade.

“I was in contact with the Chief Constable during the events and understand from him that it was a difficult and complex operation which presented many challenges to our officers.

“I am pleased that following robust action and dozens of arrests access, roads were successfully cleared, and I thank our officers for their hard work in doing so.

“Clearly these are events we do not want to see repeated, and I will be talking to the Chief in the coming days about any lessons which can be learned.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the protestors and said: “A free press is vital in holding the government and other powerful institutions to account on issues critical for the future of our country, including the fight against climate change.

“It is completely unacceptable to seek to limit the public’s access to news in this way.”

Likewise, Hertsmere MP and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden labelled the actions as “idiotic”.

He tweeted: “We must never take our free press for granted, and those who disrupt our access to it damage our democracy."