Protesters have scaled St Paul’s Cathedral in a dramatic demonstration against father’s rights.
Four activists were spotted on the roof of the iconic London landmark shortly after 4pm before a large purple banner was unfurled.
The group, three men and a woman, confirmed they had abseiled from the cathedral in association with New Fathers 4 Justice "to pray for Britain's children".
Pictures taken from the scene show large crowds have gathered at the cathedral as the drama unfolded as banners read: ""Pray for Children" and "Family Court Hell."
A City of London police spokesman said officers were called to reports of four people in the stone gallery area of the dome at around 4.20pm.
Police remain at the scene and no road closures or cordons are in place.
One man, who is thought to be a protester, wrote on Facebook: "We are climbing St. Paul's Cathedral to protest at the shocking state of fathers rights in the UK.
"Roughly 200 children are taken away by the family courts everyday from one or both parents. This MUST stop."
In a video posted on Facebook, a man says: "We are on top of St Paul's Cathedral protesting against family courts and the parental alienation that it causes.
"If you probably know me you know that I didn't get to see my dad for 10-odd years...pretty rough yeah and it does not need to happen to any of the 200 children on average this roughly happens to every single day."
Protester Archi Ssan, who scaled the cathedral alongside his son, said: "Our message is simple. Please join us in prayer and action to protect and empower children."
The group are expected to remain at ther cathedral well into the evening ahead of a planned candlelit vigil.
They said letters explaining their actions were sent to police and church authorities.
