National & International

A protester climbs to the top of a train on his way to the Drax power facility

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A protester has climbed on top of a train near a power plant in North Yorkshire, according to the BBC.

The Axe Drax campaign group said one of its activists “halted the train”, which was carrying wood pellets and heading to Drax Power station in Selby.

Images on social media show the activist, dressed in orange, waving a flag bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo. It comes as the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow draws to an end.

Drax said there had been “no impact”.

Axe Drax said the demonstration was being carried out “to send a clear message to COP26 – stop the fell”.

It said no other trains had been affected.

‘Halt the felling’

The activist, who goes by the name of Coffee, said: “We need to keep the trees in the ground, we need a U-turn on the decision to phase out deforestation by 2030, we need to slam on the breaks.

“Halt the felling. Bring a moratorium on tree felling for six months whilst a plan is made for a future world economy.”

A Drax spokesperson said: “Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but trespassing on railway lines puts the safety of train staff, as well as the protesters themselves, at risk.”

“Drax Power Station has not been impacted by this action – it continues to generate renewable power for millions of homes and businesses.”

The company said the power station had “slashed our emissions from power generation by 90%” since converting from using coal to “sustainable biomass”.

It added Drax was “helping the UK’s electricity system to decarbonise faster than any other major economy”.

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