A large group of activists entered the offices, handed out leaflets and talked to staff. Meanwhile, another team scaled the building and hung a banner reading "Don't Build Kingsnorth".

Laing O'Rourke is among six companies bidding to build the contraversial power station which would, if built, emit more carbon dioxide than the entire country of Ghana[1].

One of the activists, Pietro Testa (35) said, "In their publicity Laing O'Rourke claim that their people want to respond to unprecedented environmental challenges. We're here today to hold Laing O'Rourke to account and to tell them clearly that building Kingsnorth would directly contribute to an unprecedented environmental catastrophe."

Another activist, Hannah Chisolm (21) added, "Coal is the dirtiest form of fossil fuel. Climate change is already killing 300,000 people a year[2]. Building another coal power station is clearly insanity. We were inspired by Thames Valley Climate Action's action at the offices of another Kingsnorth bidder, BAM Nuttall earlier in the year. Any firm bidding to build Kingsnorth needs to know the extent of the opposition they will face."

"A year ago I went to the Climate Camp[3], which was held outside Kingsnorth. Today's protest shows that, even though the location of the Climate Camp has changed, Kingsnorth remains a target for Climate Change campaigners."

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ENDS


Notes to editors


1. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center:  http://cdiac.ornl.gov/
2. Global Humanitarian Forum:  http://www.ghf-geneva.org/
3. Climate Camp:  http://climatecamp.org.uk/