CLIMATE activists from Extinction Rebellion, including two British Olympians, have "occupied and blockaded" the UK's largest oil refinery.
Around 15 protesters, including sailor Laura Baldwin and canoeist Etienne Scott, gained entry to the Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire earlier this morning, cutting open perimeter fences and locking on to structures across the site.
Some protesters can be seen on top of some of the refinery's 50 foot oil silos with banners, one of which said "no future in fossil fuels".
Jonathan Kennedy, a mechanical engineer from Sussex, said he had acted in fear for his children’s future.
He said: “We have two young children. It breaks my heart to think how our collective failure to act on the climate crisis is going to impact their generation. The government’s action is not enough. I can't stand by. I have to do what I can.”
Extinction Rebellion's pink boat is currently blockading the main entrance to the refinery.
The protest group is calling for the government to stop all fossil fuel investment ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow later this week, as well as demanding ExxonMobil cancel expansion plans for the refinery.
Hannah Hunt, a student and sailor from Brighton, said: "We are speeding towards an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The government must ban any new fossil fuel investment.
"Anything less and we fall off the cliff and condemn the next generation to the greatest level of suffering in human history and the greatest injustice. For the health of our planet, for the health of our children: science cannot be disputed, so now is the time to act."
The activists have also condemned yesterday's budget as being "almost devoid of any reference to the climate crisis", whilst cutting taxes on domestic flights and freezing fuel duty.
- READ MORE: 'This will have a transformational impact' - millions for these areas in this year's Budget
The refinery is home to 330 oil tanks and provides 20 per cent of the UK's refinery capacity.
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