Greenpeace activists have brought their 12-day oil rig protest in the North Sea to an end.

The stand-off between the environmental organisation and BP over the oil and gas company's North Sea oil rig has been brought to a close with a series of protests in Europe and the US.

For five days three sets of Greenpeace UK climbers prevented BP's rig from leaving the Cromarty Firth in Scotland.

This was followed by a further stand-off in the North Sea between the rig and the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, which prevented the rig from reaching the drill site .

John Sauven, executive director at Greenpeace UK said: "For the past 12 days we've seen what one Greenpeaceship and a handful of dedicated activists can achieve in the face of a giant climate-wrecking company. But they weren't alone.

"There's a movement of millions calling on companies like BP to clean up their act and truly address the climate emergency."

A BP spokesman said: "Greenpeace's irresponsible actions have put people and property unnecessarily at risk, and diverted valuable time and resources away from public services.

"We are grateful for the work carried out by Police Scotland and continue to support them. Progress to a lower carbon future will depend on coming together, understanding each other's perspectives and working to find solutions."