CAMPAIGNERS near Selby joined a protest against Drax Plc's CO2 emissions.

While some protesters attended outside the power company's annual general meeting in London on Wednesday, residents living close to the power station near Selby gathered outside its gates with banners.

The protests were aimed at the company's burning of wood and coal, with protesters in London using percussion intruments to make themselves heard, along with pictures of animals they say are at risk from the biomass industry, while in North Yorkshire banners held by local campaigners at the plant read "Drax the Destroyer" and "Drax – Stop Burning All the Things".

Isobel Tarr from the Coal Action Network said: "Drax sources coal from Siberia, where indigenous people are suffering the health impacts of open cast coal on their doorstep.

"The UK government has said it will phase out coal fired power by 2025; we need a phaseout sooner than this, an end to opencast mining in the UK and a just transition for power industry workers."

A Drax spokesperson said since converting two thirds of the power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, the organisation was "delivering carbon savings of more than 80 per cent".

They said: "This has transformed the business, making Drax the biggest renewable power generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

"We play a vital role at the heart of the UK energy system producing flexible power to the grid at the times it is needed most, helping the UK to decarbonise faster than anywhere else in the world, whilst maintaining secure supplies."