Fifteen arrests were made after climate protesters travelled to London as part of a day of action to raise awareness of several companies' involvement with the oil industry.

Extinction Rebellion South East took part in the co-ordinated action which saw fake oil sprayed on a number of businesses, think tanks and government departments.

The protest comes as climate action groups such as XR and Just Stop Oil have ramped up efforts to try to force the government and businesses to consider the planet in an effort to protect its future.

Fifteen arrests were made by the Metropolitan Police, all for criminal damage.

Lindsay Parkin, one of the arrested protesters from Brighton, said outside the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: “This is an intervention.

“We cannot afford the burning and we cannot afford the consequences for ourselves, our planet and the rest of humanity as this continues.

“We will not allow this action of renewal of investment of seeking out and burning fossil fuels to proceed unchallenged.

“We will continue to point this out as loudly and as often as possible in the reasonable hope and expectation that a government whose primary responsibility is to protect the lives of its citizens will begin to do that, rather than pursue a catastrophic policy of supine, oil appeasing, climate cowardice.”

Another person was also arrested outside the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The day of action from XR Southeast in collaboration with other groups targeted the offices of 13 businesses.

Companies such as BP, BAE and JP Morgan had fake oil sprayed on their offices as protesters stood outside to raise awareness of the issue of fossil fuel use.

Handprints were left on the offices in fake oil and blood.

Other organisations targeted include the Church of England, the Institute for Economic Affairs think tank and the International Maritime Organisation.

Banners waved outside the BP offices accused the oil giants of putting “big profits, before people, before planet”.

Activists descended on the business offices simultaneously at 11am on Monday.

Extinction Rebellion targeted the businesses in an attempt to ask them to cut their ties to the fossil fuel industry.

The protest follows one at Barclays in Brighton last week when activists chained themselves to the front of the building in North Street.