Oxford University has made a courageous decision to press ahead with its animal research laboratory in South Parks Road.

The unidentified contractors have also shown courage in taking on the project which has been stalled for more than a year after the departure of the previous builders.

Speak, the animal rights' organisation, is almost certainly right when it says it would be naive to think that there won't be violence from the militant fringe.

Whatever one's feeling about the use of animals in experiments -- and there are strong views in both camps -- the law is on the university's side.

Parliament allows researchers to carry out such experiments, and until such time as the law is changed, their activities will remain legal.

Protesters should take the democratic route and seek to persuade MPs to change the law, rather than adopt bully-boy tactics.

It is probably a forlorn hope, but we trust we will not see any scenes of violence in South Parks Road and elsewhere.

We have already had too many examples of criminal behaviour and intimidation from the extremists since work on the new lab began.

The last thing we want is police or demonstrators being injured.

By all means, protest against the university and what it is doing, but observe the law and keep it peaceful.

We don't want Oxford to become a battleground. Anyone committing criminal behaviour should remember that tougher new laws are now in place.