Greenpeace activists 'shut down' Barclays in Leeds city centre in fossil fuels protest

The branch on Albion Street has had its door taped over and damaged overnight and is currently unable to open while engineers make repairs.

In a notice on the branch's door, Greenpeace said the bank had been 'shut down' in the 'peaceful protest' and the group apologised for the disruption caused to customers.

The environmental activist group have disrupted more than 95 branches across the country in protest of Barclays funding of fossil fuels companies, which the group say is 'fuelling the climate emergency'.

Morten Thaysen, climate finance campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: "Barclays must stop funding the climate emergency, that’s why we’ve taken action today.

"From floods to bushfires and record heat in Antarctica, the impacts of this crisis are staring us in the face.

"We’ve shut down branches across the country to shine a spotlight on Barclays’ role in bankrolling this emergency.

"It’s time Barclays pulled the plug and backed away from funding fossil fuels for good. "

Barclays did not comment on its funding into the fossil fuels industry but a Barclays spokesperson said that the bank had given £34.8bn in 2019 in social and environmental financing, including green bonds and renewable financing.

They added: “We recognise that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and are determined to do all we can to support the transition to a low carbon economy, while also ensuring that global energy needs continue to be met."

Customers in Leeds are advised to use the branch on The Headrow, which is open as normal, while the Albion Street branch is closed.

The Barclays spokesperson added: "Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues and customers and we are working hard to get the branch open as soon as we possibly can although we are not be able to give an exact timescale.

"Staff normally located at Albion Street are operating from our Headrow branch today and customers can conduct their normal transactions from this branch until the engineers are able undertake repairs at our Albion Street branch."