Protesters block the road to the Eden chip mill

The protest by members of Extinction Rebellion - Bega Valley left the route to and from the chip mill blocked for five hours, the organisation said, causing log trucks to bank up on both sides of the obstruction.

The protesters said they blocked the road to "deliberately disrupt work" by positioning a pantech truck across the road to protest "the destruction of native forests and biodiversity".

According to Extinction Rebellion spokesperson, Sally-Anne Brown, "in our region, native woodchipping, just as with other extraction industries, is driving climate and biodiversity collapse".

Officers attached to South Coast Police District were called about 7.45am, after approximately ten people had blocked the road with the truck.

A police spokesperson said police expected to lay charges against the two women aged 26 and 62 - both from Tarraganda - who sat on the truck. The pair climbed down at 12.30pm on Thursday after Police Rescue arrived on scene.

The other protesters were given move on directions by police.

Council recently approved the Allied Natural Wood Enterprises (ANWE) chip mill expansion and timber hub plans for a second time, after a legal challenge by SEFR (South East Forest Rescue).