ENVIRONMENTAL activists have targeted a bank in Hereford because over what it says is a "dirty reputation as the biggest supporter and investors in fossil fuels in Europe".

Extinction Rebellion campaigners dressed as cleaners targeted Barclays in Broad Street, later joined by the "Red Rebel Brigade".

The performance group, which aims to raise awareness of ecological and political crises through peaceful, silent processions, went into the bank to "express their grief at the ecological crisis and the suffering that it is bringing to all life", Extinction Rebellion said.

Hereford Times: The Red Rebels, a theatrical, political performance group which carries out peaceful, silent processions, was also at the protest The Red Rebels, a theatrical, political performance group which carries out peaceful, silent processions, was also at the protest

Leaflets about "Barclays’ role in funding carbon pollution and the role of HMRC using taxes, via Barclays, to fund the fossil fuel industry", were also handed out, while the "cleaners tried to scrub the streets clear of Barclays’ carbon footprint".

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Bryony Dean, a 46-year-old gardener was among those at the protest on Saturday morning (March 2), which the group said also included nurses, teachers, grandparents and students.

She said: “I feel I have no choice, fossil fuels are killing the very fabric of the planet that we live on and we have enough oil already in production to take us beyond the Paris agreement limit of 1.5C warming.

"Unless we take action now, our grandchildren are doomed to lives of misery, at best."

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She added: "As a gardener, it is all so very obvious to me how the seasons and climate are rapidly changing, yet some people still seem to be in complete denial and it is certainly not being taken seriously enough in this country.”

Hereford Times: Leaflets were handed out outside Barclays bank in Broad Street, Hereford Leaflets were handed out outside Barclays bank in Broad Street, Hereford

A Barclays spokesperson told the BBC that the bank was "aligning our entire financing portfolio to support the goals of the Paris Agreement - significantly scaling up green financing, directly investing in new green technologies and helping clients in key sectors change their business models to reduce their climate change impact."

The bank said that by 2025 it would have reduced the emissions intensity of its power portfolio by 30 per cent and was investing £175 million into green start-ups.