A Dumbarton woman has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after allegedly spraying orange paint over private jets at London Stansted Airport. 

Essex Police said it detained two women – named by Just Stop Oil as Jennifer Kowalski, 28, from Dumbarton and Cole Macdonald, 22, from Brighton – after they reportedly gained access to a private area of an airfield and were “causing damage to two aircraft”.

The activists allegedly entered the airfield and painted two private jets using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint, the environmental group said.

(Image: PA) In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Just Stop Oil said: “Jennifer and Cole cut the fence into the private airfield at Stanstead where @taylorswift13’s jet is parked, demanding an emergency treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030.”

A video accompanying the post appears to show one of the activists cutting a hole in the airfield’s metal fence using an angle grinder.

One activist, wearing a Just Stop Oil t-shirt, appears to be seen spraying the fuselage and windows of two parked white planes with orange paint, before both sitting together in front of the planes on the tarmac.

Police were called at around 5am on Thursday following reports of the alleged incident.

Essex Police say two people had reportedly entered an area “well away from the runway and main passenger terminal” before allegedly causing damage to two aircraft.

A 22-year-old woman from Brighton and a 28-year-old woman from Dumbarton have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with use or operation of national infrastructure, the force said.

Police added the airport and flights were still operating as normal.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “I would like to reassure passengers and the wider public that we are well prepared and resourced to deal with incidents of this nature.

“Almost immediately after we were made aware of this incident, which took place away from the main passenger terminal, we were on the scene.

“We maintain a constant presence at the airport and this presence will be heightened over the summer period.

“We are not anti-protest but we will always take action where criminal acts take place.”

Essex Police confirmed that the private jet of pop star Taylor Swift, which Just Stop Oil said had landed at Stansted “mere hours before”, was not at the airport.