Extinction Rebellion activists will bring their campaign to York on Wednesday.

Extinction Rebellion York and Extinction Rebellion Calderdale will be in Parliament Street as part of their national organisation's campaign against Drax Power Station south of York.

They claim it added 17 million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere in 2020 through its burning of wood pellets.

Drax Power Station disputes the claim

At lunchtime on Wednesday the activists will parody the Drax AGM, scheduled for London on the same day, when they will give a performance wearing suits and drinking "champagne" in Parliament Street.

“People think Drax are using eco-friendly methods because they are very good at greenwashing, which means they cover up the damage they do by pretending they care about the environment,” says an anonymous member of XR York.

A Drax spokesman said: “Drax does not cut down trees. Our pellets are produced from the waste material that is left behind from the construction and furniture making industries, such as sawdust from sawmills, off-cuts, tree-tops and smaller, diseased or misshapen trees that have little commercial value, and thinnings.

“If we didn’t take this material it would mostly be sent for disposal, burned by the side of the road, or left to rot on the forest floor."

The spokesman added: “Converting the power station in North Yorkshire to use sustainable biomass has transformed Drax into the UK’s largest producer of secure, renewable power and added millions of pounds to the local economy.”