POLICE arrested 38 people during a climate-change demonstration yesterday when energy campaigners attempted to shut down Britain’s biggest coal-fired power station.

Protesters marched on the Drax power station during a day of “creative mass action” to highlight the plant’s status as the country’s largest single emitter of carbon dioxide. Their attempts to disrupt the site’s operation were foiled by a security operation involving several hundred officers from seven police forces across the country. Dozens of police vans were placed along routes leading to the power station. Ten Metropolitan Police vans alone were parked in one lay-by and at times a line of 25 police vehicles could be seen travelling in convoy.

Although some of the estimated 600 demonstrators gained temporary access to the giant North Yorkshire plant, most were forced to voice their protests outside the entrance gates. Arrests were made for offences including criminal damage, aggravated trespass and causing a public nuisance. Two people were held on suspicion of carrying offensive weapons.

The day of direct action came after a week during which a coalition of environmental groups set up the Camp for Climate Action near Drax, which supplies 7 per cent of Britain’s electricity. Campaigners said that they wanted to take positive action against the root causes of climate change.

“The dream of consumption without end is becoming the nightmare of ecological collapse,” a spokesman said. “This [the protest] is the only way to stop the actions of those vested interests that watch the planet burn while counting the money they make from the fire.”

The power station had obtained an injunction barring demonstrators from its premises, and Melanie Wedgbury, the company’s head of external affairs, said that despite the protest it had been “business as usual” for the plant.

She said: “Two people made their way on to the site in the early hours of the morning and climbed up a lighting tower some distance from the generators. They came down of their own accord and were arrested.”

Dr Wedgbury said that Drax was the cleanest coal-fired power station in Britain, but accepted that climate change was a real threat and said the company was committed to making further reductions to its CO2 output.

Hundreds of demonstrators left their camp site yesterday morning for a two-mile march to the power station, led by a group of small children and parents pushing pushchairs. They were joined by campaigners dressed in white overalls and with their faces covered. There were minor scuffles as police blocked their route temporarily.

About 40 protesters attempted unsuccessfully to force entry to the plant. Others staged a colourful sit-down protest on the road outside the main entrance.

About 900 campaigners were involved in the week of activities leading up to yesterday’s protest.

David Cairney, a spokesman for the group, said: “Drax is an enormous facility and getting it to stop production was nigh-on impossible, but we’ve managed to show the strength of feeling out there.”

FOSSIL FUEL: A BURNING ISSUE

Coal gives 34 per cent of Britain’s energy. Gas provides 37 per cent, nuclear 21 per cent and renewables 4 per cent

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