Custard-throwing campaigner arrested in Britain

LONDON, March 8 -- Police from the Scotland Yard confirmed on Sunday that a woman who threw a cup of green custard onto the face of British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has been arrested.

Environmental campaigner Leila Deen from Plane Stupid threw the custard at Mandelson on Friday when the secretary arrived for a low carbon summit in London, to show her anger at Mandelson's involvement in the government's decision to approve a third runwayat Heathrow Airport. Environmental activists fear that the project would impact greatly on climate change.

Deen walked away unchallenged before being arrested by police on Saturday and later bailed to return to a central London police station in early April, local media cited a police spokesperson assaying.

Mandelson has expressed his surprise that the campaigner had been able to bypass security on Friday to carry out the custard move. He also noted that the custard had given him a "slight" facial irritation.

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott, who had been thrown at with an egg years back, had expressed his anger in his video blog after the incident, saying people conducting such activities should be arrested.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also told Sky News: "I don't think in a democracy where people are able to speak up that anybody should chuck custard at anybody in the street. It's not appropriate."