CLIMATE activists from across Worcestershire are taking part in a protest against the banking industry's effect on the world.

Extinction Rebellion protestors from around the county, including Malvern and Evesham climbed onto the lower roof of the Barclaycard Headquarters in Northampton.

At the same time, another group occupied the foyer of the building.

The group sprayed fake oil around the building made from water, black food dye and organic thickener.

It is designed to resemble crude oil.

Extinction Rebellion said 18 people took part in the protest, expecting at least eight arrests to be made.

People dressed as bankers stood outside the building holding banners which said: "Stop Funding Fossil Fuels" and "Better Without Barclays".

The banking giant has set its net-zero target for carbon emissions to 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.

This, Extinction Rebellion claims, is not soon enough, with the bank having spent an estimated £22billion per year investing in fossil fuel companies, according to XR.

One activist, Ian Atkinson, 52, a forester from Evesham, said: "If customers want to stop the Climate Crisis one really easy thing they can do is change their bank.

"Switchit.green makes that really easy to do. Barclays is the worst bank in Europe for funding the Climate Crisis, and all you need to do is switch."

Protesters targeted the Barclays offices only a month ago with a lighthearted dig at the bank, and in 2020 six people were arrested at another Northampton Barclays protest.

Barclays has been targeted across the UK with at least 40 demonstrations by Extinction Rebellion since the start of 2022.

When announcing its carbon-zero plans, Barclays said it intends to decarbonise its global property portfolio by "progressively eliminating the use of fossil fuels currently used to heat and cool our buildings."

The announcement said: "We will continue removing the use of natural gas in our buildings, replacing gas boilers with carbon-free heating technologies when feasible.

"We will also continue to embed circular economy principles to reduce waste in our buildings and support the regeneration of natural systems."