'Clean-up protest' outside Treasury

The Government building in Whitehall and London City Airport were the latest targets for people attending the week-long camp at Blackheath in south east London aimed at highlighting the threat of climate change.

Armed with boiler suits and cleaning equipment, the protesters said they wanted to expose the Treasury's continued "dirty practice" of using taxpayers' money to fund fossil fuel extraction in spite of the Government's claim to be a global leader in the fight against climate change.

The demonstrators held up a banner proclaiming Climate Change Doesn't Take Holidays, and complained that the Government has a majority stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland which they said funded carbon-intensive industries such as tar sands extraction in Canada.

Protester Nimsha Doshi said: "We've had enough of false solutions and false promises. We're here to expose the Government's role as a climate criminal, and the political system's failure to fight against climate change."

The campers will also protest over recently approved plans to expand London City Airport, which they warned would lead to an extra 50,000 plane journeys from the airport, bringing City's annual flight total to 120,000.

Climate camper Anna Markova said: "Corporations are driving the climate change agenda. They have pushed through the expansion of London City Airport against the wishes of the local community.

"This December the same big businesses will be flying from here to promote false solutions, like carbon trading, at the UN climate conference at Copenhagen. We can't afford to let businesses drive us into climate crisis. The expansion means improving transport for the rich at the cost of further worsening air quality and noise pollution in the area, and eroding the health and well-being of local communities."

The campers, who are staying at the site in Blackheath until later this week, have already held protests outside the European Climate Exchange and Barclays Bank.