POP star Will Young chained himself to the gates of a controversial puppy farm – before fleeing when police said firefighters with bolt-cutters were on their way.
The 42-year-old was pictured padlocked to the gates of the MBR Acres research site in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday as he hit out at cruel animal testing.
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Will chained himself outside the facility in Cambridgeshire Credit: SWNS 5
The 42-year-old had handcuffed his right arm to the gate of the facility Credit: SWNS
Joining a group of campaigners outside the laboratory, the former pop idol winner held a poster reading: “Cambridgeshire famous for beagle torture thanks to MBR.”
In a picture later shared by the campaign Camp Beagle, Will was then seen sitting on the ground, with his right wrist handcuffed to the bars.
He was joined by several protestors stationed adjacent to the site as they chanted "Shut down MBR' and "Blood, blood, blood money."
When police arrived the 42-year-old reportedly refused to leave — claiming he had thrown away the key and vowed: “I will stay until I am arrested”.
However, he abandoned the 90-minute protest at 2.30pm after ongoing discussions with four officers - who he described as “brilliant.”
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He later shared a photo to his Instagram stories and wrote: “I look like Steptoe and Son!
“Free the beagles and stop animal testing.’
The permanent camp was reportedly set up outside the sites July, where 2,000 beagles are allegedly being reared.
It is believed to be one of several animal testing laboratories in the UK - where pups are brought in at around 16 weeks old.
Campaigners have previously claimed that are destined for a “cruel, painful and short life” and are sometimes even killed after just six months.
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The former pop idol winner reportedly refused when he was initially approached by the police Credit: SWNS
Will told the Metro: "I wanted to bring attention to animal testing and the fact that this is a puppy farm that farms over 2000 beagle puppies a year to be sent out to their inevitable torture and death,”
"People do not know about it in this country and that is why I’ve handcuffed myself to the gates."
Animal lover Will had previously rescued two dogs from the US last year after they faced euthanasia.
Actors Peter Egan and Ricky Gervais are among other famous faces to have backed calls to shut down the site.
Gervais has previously stated his “shock” that the “painful and terrifying toxicity experiments” were still taking place in the UK.
A spokesperson for MBR says it is “dedicated to maintaining high standards of animal welfare,” adding that they are regularly checked by the Home Office to ensure that the correct standards are met.
The company concluded: "We remain proud of what we do every day because our work allows the progress of medicine to save millions of human and animal lives."
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Will was joined by a number of protestors who were heard chanting 'Shut down MBR' Credit: SWNS 5
The campaigners, which have been in place since July, wants animal testing to be ended Credit: SWNS We pay for your stories!
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