DRIVERS entering Bournemouth were greeted with a welcome sign of a different kind as activists draped a new banner on the A338.

Extinction Rebellion activists placed signs reading 'Fossil Fuels = Sea Level Rise’ and ‘Enough Talk: Climate Action Now’ where motorists normally see the ‘Welcome to Bournemouth’ and ‘Safe Journey’ messages with signs reading.

The action was part of a nationwide protest by Extinction Rebellion in preparation for the G7 summit that will be held in Cornwall from the June 11 to June 13.

Melissa Carrington, an activist from Dorset, said: “The reality is that none of the G7 nations are delivering on the promises they made in Paris in 2015.

“All claims of climate leadership are farcical, when no major economy has implemented policies consistent with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Greg Lambe, from XR Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole said: “We want to send a clear message to government that the inaction we’ve seen on the climate and ecological crisis is not good enough.

“The pandemic presented a unique moment to turn things around but so far the government has failed to seize that opportunity.

“This is why we need a proper legal framework like the climate and ecological emergency bill to force the government to protect those at risk from climate catastrophe now and in the future.”