GCHQ sent men with angle grinders to destroy any computer, hard drive, or chip that had touched those files.
This prompted the Guardian to move it's head office to New York - leaving the UK after 195 years.
A better illustration of the UK freedom of the press could not be devised. /s
Interestingly the Guardian article notes they specifically destroyed particular chips, like the keyboard drivers...
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/31/footage-relea...