A journalist from Dorset has been arrested whilst reporting on a protest in China - leading to condemnation from the BBC over his treatment.

Ed Lawrence, who lived in Bridport before moving to China as a foreign news camera journalist, was arrested by police in Shanghai whilst covering protests on Sunday night, according to the BBC.

He has since been released but the BBC has issued a statement expressing concern about his treatment - alleging he was ‘beaten and kicked’.

Mr Lawrence, who graduated from Bournemouth University in 2015, was reporting on protests that have broken out in the region in response to the country’s zero-Covid policy.

He studied Television Production at Bournemouth University and began to work freelance for outlets including ITN and the BBC - including spells in Calais covering the refugee crisis.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: "The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai.”

"He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist. 

"We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught COVID from the crowd. We do not consider this a credible explanation."