THE Government has agreed to pay the bulk of the cost of policing RAF Fairford during the Iraq war according to Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

Having provided the Gloucestershire Constabulary with special grants of £1.25 million, the Government has now approved a further grant of £5.5 million.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears said: "We fully appreciate that the policing of RAF Fairford imposed a significant burden on the Gloucestershire Constabulary.

"This was a major operation and a job well done."

Payment of the £5.5 million will be spread over two years.

It was originally estimated by the force that it would cost £4.2 million to police the airbase, but this quickly rose to £7.8 million.

Mr Clifton-Brown said: "The costs caused a great deal of bad feeling in Gloucestershire, which had to put up with the disruption caused by the war. Now the burden on local council taxpayers will be radically reduced."

l Last week a group of anti-war protesters won a High Court battle over a police decision to detain them while on their way to RAF Fairford for a demonstration.

The court ruled that police were abusing their powers when they escorted three coaches back to London, but right to prevent them from attending an anti-war protest.