Drax power station burns 36,000 tonnes of coal every day

An injunction has been granted to Drax Power Station near Selby in a bid to stop protesters invading the site.

Drax said it wanted to ensure the protesters did not force the station to close or put their own safety at risk.

Camp for Climate Action said the planned action on 31 August would go ahead even if protesters risked arrest.

The injunction bans people from trespassing on the site and also restricts the use of a footpath along a site boundary.

Those who enter the power station site will risk arrest.

The issue of climate change is so urgent that lots of people are prepared to step out of line to make a stand Anna Harrison, Camp for Climate Action

A spokesman for the power station said Drax had no objection to "peaceful and lawful demonstration" but did not want protesters exposed to the dangers and hazards "inherent to our highly complex industrial site".

"We consider these dangers to be significant, particularly to unaccompanied and untrained individuals," a statement said.

"We also consider an injunction necessary in order to ensure the security of the electricity supply to the public generally."

Spokeswoman for Camp for Climate Action, Anna Harrison, said the planned week-long camp in the so-called "Megawatt Valley" near Drax would go ahead.

She said those who attended would decide whether they were prepared to risk arrest by joining the "day of creative mass action" on 31 August, when demonstrators will converge on the site with the aim of forcing the power station to shut down.

She said: "I can't speak for everyone else but I do know that a lot of people feel so strongly that they are prepared to break the law.

"The issue of climate change is so urgent that lots of people are prepared to step out of line to make a stand."