Extinction Rebellion protesters have blocked a junction outside the Bank of England in a bid to disrupt the City of London.

Dozens of activists are sitting or standing in the road as City workers leave Bank tube station.

In some surrounding streets traffic has been brought to a standstill, with long queues of buses sat empty with their engines off.

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Protesters, sheltering under umbrellas, are holding aloft flags bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo, while drummers play.

Others nearby are handing out leaflets which say “We’re sorry” and explain why they are protesting.

Activists have covered themselves in a large green tarpaulin to protect against the rain.

Many are holding banners and placards bearing messages targeting financial institutions, such as “divest from climate change” and “invest in soil not oil”.

Dave Evans, 32, an IT consultant from London, said he had taken two weeks unpaid leave to join the Extinction Rebellion protests. He said the finance sector needed to “stop funding the climate crisis”.

Extinct

“These huge corporations are financing fossil fuels and [are] being subsidised by the Government,” he added.

Iris Skipworth, who was handing out Extinction Rebellion leaflets to commuters at the obstructed crossroads at Bank, said she had received “death threats” from passers-by.

The 20-year-old, who was wearing a waterproof poncho, has been camping at Vauxhall with “some 400 others” for four days.

She said: “A lot of commuters are very annoyed, because they are trying to get to work quickly. I can understand, but it’s shortsighted.

“I have had people saying things like ‘Get a job’, ‘Get out of the road’, and ‘Why don’t you go extinct?’.”

Protesters

Ms Skipworth, who has taken time off from her job as a garden centre assistant in Manchester, added: “I’m here because the 33 banks around the City of London gave £66 billion to the fossil fuel industry this year, and £0.9 trillion since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

“The government has declared a climate emergency, yet they’re not even scaling this back slightly … we’re here to hit the government in the wallet, hopefully.”

Twenty double-decker buses queuing down Lombard Street and King William Street were rendered stationary by the climate change protesters at Bank station.

The driver of the bus at the front of the queue said he had been stuck there for two hours – since 7am – and protesters showed no signs of moving.

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This article is based on copy supplied by PA.