CLIMATE change groups opposed to Drax Power Station burning coal and wood have staged a mass protest outside the plant.

Around 60 people from groups including Biofuelwatch and Coal Action Network are against the site’s use of fuels, which they say cause the destruction of forests worldwide and contribute to climate change.

It was the largest protest at Drax since the first ‘Climate Camp’ in 2006 when a group of 600 attempted to shut down the power station, and saw former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett speak out.

The protesters claim they do not want to disrupt the operations of the power station, but instead call for an end to Drax’s £470 million-a-year subsidies for their part-conversion to burning biomass – wood pellets – which the protesters have denounced as “Greenwash” and “a carbon con”.