Two anti-Israel activists have been found guilty of trespassing at an arms factory.

Jessica Nero and Gavin Pidwell blocked the gates at the EDO MBM plant, claiming they were protesting against the firm’s production of weapons systems supplied to Israel.

The pair are members of the Smash EDO group, whose activists have previously caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage to the EDO premises.

On Thursday, Brighton Magistrates’ Court ordered Nero and Pidwell to pay £200 each in costs and gave them conditional discharges for two years. They had been arrested in April last year after their protest.

In a statement, the pair said they were “naturally disappointed” with the verdict but planned to appeal.