Hamble BP oil terminal entrance blocked by protesters

Environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion have blocked the entrance to an oil terminal in Hampshire.

Members of the campaign group laid across the entrance to a BP depot in Hamble, near Southampton, to protest against "greenwashing" by the fossil fuel industry and government.

A government spokesperson said it was "working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels" while supporting jobs.

BP said it has plans to reduce its oil and gas production.

A spokesperson for the oil and gas company said the demonstration had blocked road tanker traffic in and out of the Hamble terminal, which supplies fuel to service stations across the south of England.

Some of the protesters locked arms inside oil barrels, while others dressed as cleaning ladies armed with scrubbing brushes.

Officers from Hampshire Constabulary have spoken to the campaigners, but are currently allowing the protest to continue.

Greenwashing is a term used for companies that allegedly use misleading information to make products or services sound more environmentally friendly.

James Hill, from Extinction Rebellion, said: "The government continues to announce paper targets to reduce emissions but it is still business as usual for fossil fuel companies.

"This is incompatible with the urgent need for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees."

Mr Hill said they called "on the government to stop the greenwash" and "end the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and accelerate the transition to renewables".

Mr Hill said the protest was one of a number taking place across the country in the lead up to the G7 summit in Cornwall from 11 to 13 June.

A BP spokesperson said it aimed to become a net zero company, meaning it will not impact the climate with greenhouse gas emissions, by "2050 or sooner".

They added: "To achieve this, our strategy will see us increase our spending on renewable energy ten-fold over this decade, to around $5 billion a year, and also reduce our oil and gas production by 40%."

A government spokesperson said: "We share the passion of many in ending our contribution to climate change and protecting our planet for this generation and those to come.

"We are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, but as the independent Climate Change Committee recognises, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas.

"As part of the UK's shift towards green energy, we are the first G7 country to set out an ambitious plan to back the decarbonisation of the oil and gas industry while supporting tens of thousands of jobs."

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