CLIMATE protestors staged a “sit in” in the city centre yesterday, engaging with the community on the issue of climate change.

Around 30 members from Extinction Rebellion, as well as some members from Greenpeace, sat on the High Street in Worcester, in a low-key protest, reading and holding banners, ready to engage with the public.

Andy Lyon, 53, from Malvern, said: “Lots of policies from the Government are heading in the wrong direction on climate change - they need to invest more in cycling infrastructure, like they’ve done in Germany.

“We’ve seen families during lockdown taking up cycling and that’s good and we need to encourage this.

“We are doing a more quiet approach compared to what we’ve done in the past as we want to engage with the public and give them an opportunity to ask us questions and to get more information if they so wish.

“In September, we are planning more serious action, with the emphasis on being visible and loud but I don’t want to give out any more information on these plans at the moment.”

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John Allen, 68, from Worcester and a member of Greenpeace, said: “Climate change is the most important issue to me - even more so than Brexit - it’s literally a matter of life and death for all of us.

“All environmental groups need to work together because we are all worried about the environment and we have the same common goal.

"That's why I'm here representing Greenpeace and showing solidarity."

Fleur Visser, 46, from Worcester, said: “I have a background in physical science and I’m here as there is increasing concern about what we are doing to our planet - if we don’t do something soon, it will be a catastrophe in the future - we need to act now.”

Sam Iqbal, 36, from Worcester, said: “This is a low-key approach we are taking here, and members of the public have been great.

"Some have stopped and chatted to us, wondering what it’s all about and that’s the reason we are doing this.

"I don' think climate change is being taken seriously enough."

Extinction Rebellion was founded around two years ago as a pressure group to compel the Government to take action on climate, biodiversity loss and the risk of social and ecological collapse.