A FORMAL complaint has been made to police over claims that workers occupying a wind turbine factory are having their human rights breached over access to food and drink.

Ten workers have been staging a sit in at the Vestas Wind Systems plant on the Isle of Wight in a bid to prevent the site closing, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union took legal advice over the workers' human rights after claiming that they were being "starved" into submission because of a lack of adequate food supplies.

The union announced last night that it had lodged a formal complaint to police over the actions of security guards after obtaining a legal opinion from leading human rights lawyer Louise Christian.

She said: "There is a positive obligation under the Human Rights Act on the State and its agents, the police, to prevent private individuals from depriving others of their liberty.

"It therefore appears to me that the local police have a positive obligation to prevent the security agents employed by Vestas stopping people coming in to deliver food to those in occupation.

"In the circumstances I advise that a formal complaint be made to the local police about the actions of the security guards as soon as possible asking that the police take action to ensure they allow deliveries of food through and that if they refuse to do so they are prosecuted for an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

"Alternatively it would also be open for an urgent application to be made to a judge for an injunction against the security company and Vestas to prevent them from breaching the provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997."

The RMT immediately took action, handing papers to the police station at Newport last night.

The union said it was "seriously concerned" at the health implications of the lack of food reaching the workers inside the factory.

One worker has already been forced to leave on medical advice after his blood sugar levels were found be at seriously low levels.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "It's disgusting that Vestas are trying to starve the workers out and we are calling on the police to take urgent action against their private security company to stop this outrageous affront to basic human rights.

"We will fight with every tool available to get food into the workers on the inside whose only crime is to fight for their livelihoods and the future of green energy."

The factory was due to close yesterday, but the Danish owners have delayed shutting the plant following the occupation.

Legal moves to end the sit in were adjourned this week and will be resumed next week.

Meanwhile Vestas workers were due to stage another protest