Daryl Hannah arrested in protest

American actress Daryl Hannah has been arrested during a protest against mountain mining.

Arrested: Daryl Hannah

The Blade Runner star was among a group of activists who refused to move on as police arrived to disperse the crowd at a coal processing plant in southern West Virginia.

Hannah - who was arrested along with NASA scientist James Hansen - was booked on misdemeanour charges of obstruction and impeding traffic.

They were among several hundred protesters who held a rally outside an elementary school that sits about 300 feet away from the plant.

After the rally, the crowd marched quietly to the plant and attempted to enter the property. They were blocked by several hundred coal miners chanting "Massey."

Hannah, 48, Hansen and 28 others then sat on the road and were arrested.

According to a news release from the protesters, the group admitted to crossing onto the property of Massey Energy and also admitted to "purposely trespassing to protest the destruction of mountains immediately above the Coal River Valley community."