Greenpeace activists dressed in polar bear costumes stage anti-Shell protests IT LOOKED as if the Festival had come early to Edinburgh as "polar bears" danced around bus stops and men in red survival suits swarmed on to a garage roof. But it wasn't a free Fringe show - they were Greenpeace activists, looking to shut down Shell petrol stations in Edinburgh, in protest at the company's latest mission to drill for oil in the Arctic. By 5pm yesterday, three of the 14 Shell garages in and around Edinburgh and dozens more in London had been closed by protesters, who disabled pumps by removing key handles which they then posted back to the oil giant's headquarters. The firm's 24-hour garage in the Scottish capital's Dalry Road was targeted at about 6:45am, with two demonstrators dressed as polar bears doing a dance in front of bemused commuters waiting at a nearby bus stop. Four protesters, including one "bear," locked themselves to the petrol pumps, while another two scaled the roof and put up a tent, a banner and the Twitter alert "#SAVETHEARCTIC." One of the rooftop demonstrators, a student called Dominic, who didn't want to give his full name, told The Scotsman: "You have to have quite an informed reason if you're going to climb a garage roof, and my reason is that it's completely out of line for Shell to be drilling in the Arctic. It's an amazing place and if they do drill they risk causing a spill which could destroy it. He added: "On the whole, the response from the public has been very positive. People are hooting their horns and children were whooping. A mobile Greenpeace team, driving a low emissions car, succeeded in closing down Shell garages in Seafield Road, Leith, and Maybury Road, although both had reopened before the end of the day. By last night, seven Greenpeace activists had been detained by police in Edinburgh. In London, the charity said it had "closed down" more than 40 filling stations, including Old Ford in east London, Fulham Cross in west London and Hornsey in north London. Greenpeace broadcast its action online, updating details about station closures and arrests. Shell is due to begin drilling at two offshore sites in the Alaskan Arctic in the coming weeks. Greenpeace's Sara Ayech said: "An oil spill in the Arctic would be catastrophic for wildlife such as walruses and whales, and Shell knows full well that it would be impossible to clean up after such devastation. The Arctic must be saved and made a global sanctuary where oil drilling is banned. A spokesman for the oil company said: "Shell recognises that certain organisations are opposed to our exploration programme offshore Alaska and we respect the right of individuals and organisations to engage in a free and frank exchange of views about our operations."