East Bridgford rabbit farm, owned by T&S Nurseries, closes after Shut Down T&S Rabbits, backed by Ricky Gervais

A rabbit farm has been closed and more than 200 creatures freed after two months of protests at the site.

Phil Kerry, of T&S Nurseries, announced his retirement this week and the closure of the farm.

He said: “I was retiring next year anyway from rabbit farming but I have to be honest, the activists made the decision for me. It was also the sheer cost of security.

“I made the decision to give into their demands. We couldn’t fight them any more because they are too strong.”

Volunteers from the Shut Down T&S Rabbits campaign collected 202 rabbits from the farm in East Bridgford on Saturday.

The rabbits were taken to sanctuaries and rescue centres and will be seen by vets to be vaccinated, neutered and then rehomed.

Fundraising to support the costs of the rabbits' medical care has now reached more than £14,000.

Campaigners have been holding weekly protests at the farm for more than two months.

Thousands of people, including comedian Ricky Gervais, also signed a petition against T&S Nurseries, which runs a network of rabbit farms.

“The farm closed down because the public had had enough," said a spokesman for the Shut Down T&S Rabbits campaign.

"There is no way we could have allowed it to carry on.

“The campaign was multi-faceted and used a diversity of tactics, and being grassroots organised meant no leaders were calling the shots, so lots of people felt empowered to take action.”

Throughout the weeks, the number of protestors varied, with more than 100 people some days and others with only a couple of activists.