Peace campaigners are to take Gloucestershire police to court over what they believe were abuses of their civil liberties during protests at RAF Fairford.

Campaigners say the police force misused new powers afforded them under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the way they dealt with their presence at the Gloucestershire air base during the war in Iraq. Protesters claim officers were "over zealous" in how they carried out stop and search and they would like to see a court clarify just what these new powers meant for police and protester alike.

Dave Cockcroft, a member of Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors, a protest group which has worked to draw attention to the significance of the Fairford base, said he believed the police had overstepped their authority.

"Primarily the issue is with the use of the Terrorism Act 2000 stop and search procedures," he said.

"First of all, we want to know whether it was correct and legitimate that stop and search powers had been authorised and why they were used to deter what was a reasonable and legitimate protest."

Talks had begun, he said, with London solicitors who specialised in civil liberties cases.

David Drew, MP for Stroud, also thinks there are questions that need to be asked with reference to the use of stop and search powers.

Mr Drew, who visited the peace camp twice, said: "My view is they have a public right to protest. Clearly we hope this will be scaled down now the B52s have gone, but I would like to look at some issues, particularly with regard to stop and search, Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.

"With the best will in the world I didn't think it was intended to stop people plonked outside RAF Fairford."

A spokesman for the county police force said they had not received any formal notification from Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors about any proposed legal action.

"If we do receive any then we will give it due consideration," he said.

"Stop and search procedure used at RAF Fairford were granted after Home Office ministerial approval under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for the counties of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire that gave officers authorisation to stop vehicles and search them and their owners to prevent terrorism."

As soon as war against Iraq appeared imminent, people opposed to the conflict and the American use of Fairford to fly its B52 bombing missions, began camping near Gate 10 at the village of Kempsford in protest.

At times the campaigners were joined by up to 2,000 anti-war demonstrators who marched on the Gloucestershire air base.

When war broke out security at the base was significantly tightened.

More than once during demonstrations protesters and police clashed when the perimeter fence to the base, which was home to 14 B52 bombers, was breached.

It was thought by some that when the B52s left last week the peace camp would also disperse, but while numbers have scaled down some have vowed to stay.