WOMEN who are harassed by anti-abortion protesters when they visit the Marie Stopes clinic in Mattock Lane, Ealing, have the backing of Ealing councillors.

Growing protests led to dozens of residents in the Mattock Lane area writing to the council about the detrimental effect they claimed it was having on their lives.

Councillors also considered a 3,500-signature petition from the pro-choice organisation, Sister Supporter.

Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday night to commit the authority to "fully explore every possible option and take all necessary actions within its powers, utilising all necessary resources, to prevent anti-abortion protestors from intimidating and harassing women.”

Ealing could include using anti-social behaviour laws to enforce action.

The motion before councillors said: “The right to protest needs to be balanced with the right of pregnant women to choose and to obtain advice and treatment in confidence and free from intimidation.

“Those who wish to campaign to restrict women’s reproductive choices have plenty of opportunities and locations in which to do so.

“The area outside a clinic need not and should not be one of them. Equally, local residents who live on Mattock Lane and surrounding streets should not have to be exposed to constant nuisance, disruption and anxiety caused by such protests on a daily basis.”

The vote was welcomed by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, whose spokesman said: “The situation in Ealing is sadly not unique, and women and clinic staff across the country report being followed, filmed, and harassed when trying to access or provide legal healthcare services. This has to stop.”

Richard Bentley, Managing Director at Marie Stopes UK, said: “This ground-breaking move by Ealing Council sets a national precedent for ending the harassment of women using legal healthcare services.

"We hope other local authorities will follow this example and act to increase protection for women in their area.

“For too long, these groups have used the word protest to mask their real objectives, which are to harass women they don’t know, invade their space and block their right to healthcare.

“The majority of women who arrive at our clinics have already had a consultation with a trained professional, in which they have talked through their options and have come to a decision that’s right for them.

“Strangers harassing them as they enter and leave the clinic does nothing to change that. All it does is upset women on what can already be a difficult day.

“We are grateful to Ealing Council for recognising this and taking action -  and to Sister Supporter and Rupa Huq (Ealing and Acton MP) for their campaign.”