Two men from Brighton were arrested when hundreds of anti-war campaigners from across the country protested outside an air base.

The protest, organised by the Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors and the Greenham Common Initiators, took place at the US base at RAF Fairford yesterday.

More than 1,000 people marched to the gates of the base, where they demanded to be let in to inspect for weapons of mass destruction.

Many were in fancy dress, including white costumes resembling the clothing of UN weapons inspectors.

As well as listening to speeches, the protesters tied ribbons and hung messages to the fencing around the main gate.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire police said three other people had been arrested.

He added: "The protest on the whole passed off very peacefully."

Three of the arrests were for minor criminal damage and two were for public order related offences.

The spokesman said the arrested people - two men from Brighton, aged 25 and 27, two men from London, aged 34 and 29, and a woman from Birmingham, aged 38 - were detained at Cirencester police station and questioned by police.