Protesters who opposed a Midlands guinea pig breeding farm say they will join the campaign against Oxford University's £18m animal lab now the farm is out of business.

It was confirmed yesterday that Darley Oaks guinea pig breeding farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, was closing, after a long saga during which the grave of a relative of the farm's owners was dug up and her remains stolen.

Campaigners from the Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs group, which has protested peacefully for six years, will now turn their attention to the animal laboratory in South Parks Road, said spokesman Amanda Richards.

Animal rights group Speak welcomed the news and also announced plans to hold monthly demonstrations in Oxford.

A University spokesman said there was growing concern about the impact of the protests -- even though a High Court injunction keeps protesters at least 35 metres away from the lab site.

She said: "We respect the right of individuals to take part in lawful, peaceful protest, which is why the injunction provides an opportunity for protesters to hold a demonstration in the University's science area every week.

"Speak will need to discuss the possibility of any additional regular protests with the police.

"However, we are becoming more concerned that the lawful business of members of the University, and of local people, is being disrupted and disturbed by increasing numbers of noisy demonstrations."

Last Saturday, there were violent clashes between protesters and police near the laboratory site where construction workers are wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.

More than 50 police, some in riot gear, stopped the march involving 400 demonstrators about 100 yards from the half-built laboratory.

Five people were arrested during the event, the first major protest at the site since building work resumed in November, following a 16-month delay.

Rachel McQuilliam, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police, said: "We will continue to liaise with Speak regarding their demonstrations."

Speak welcomed the news that the guinea pig group was joining the Oxford campaign and said it planned to hold a major protest in Oxford every month on the fourth Saturday of the month.

The next one will be on Saturday, January 28.

Speak spokesman Robert Cogswell said: "We think it is important to get people on to the streets, not to cause disruption for the people of Oxford, but to get across our side of the story."