VOLUNTEERS from the Greenpeace York Group took part in a nationwide protest calling for the UK Government to ensure our oceans are off-limits to deep sea mining.

Group members created home-made banners which were held and photographed outside York Minster. These images, along with hundreds of others from across the country, will be sent directly to Government to make it clear that people across the UK do not support plans to rip up the ocean floor for profit.

Abbie, one of the volunteers from York said “On Saturday, I joined volunteers from Greenpeace York Group to take photos with our banner reading ‘York Against Deep Sea Mining’ outside York Minster. This was my first campaign with the group which I joined to turn my eco anxiety into positive action.

"The deep sea might seem a world away from York, but in the year that the UK hosts the UN climate negotiations, we have a chance to prevent the needless destruction of our oceans. We’re sending a message to the UK Government that they need to take ocean protection seriously, and end their support for deep sea mining."

This nationwide banner protest is the latest step in the campaign to protect our oceans. Earlier this month, York Group shared online screenings of Greenpeace’s docu-series Ocean Witness, and hundreds of people tweeted the Foreign Office Minister Zac Goldsmith about the need for a strong Global Ocean Treaty.

A spokesperson for Greenpeace York said: "Deep sea mining would involve sending huge industrial machinery to the fragile ecosystems in the depths of the oceans, many of which are less well understood than the surface of Mars.

"It would undermine the livelihoods of many people in Pacific Island communities, by threatening fish stocks, and risks disturbing carbon storage in the deep ocean."

The Government’s review into deep sea mining will conclude in July.

Jamie, another local volunteer for the York group added: "Rather than a handful of companies exploiting the deep sea for profit, we need to prioritise reusing resources and moving to a sustainable, circular economy.

"I don’t want the phone I use, the battery in my electric car, or the chips in my computer to be there as a result of damage to such a precious and beautiful ecosystem."