Eco-warriers from across the South Hams have today glued themselves together at Oxford Circus as part of Extinction Rebellion’s two-week climate demonstrations in London.

About ten local activists have joined the hundreds of XR protesters who flooded the capital city’s landmark junction on Wednesday, where they helped erect a giant pink table with a banner that reads ‘COME TO THE TABLE’.

Among the circle of women surrounding the structure are South Hams XR activists who have glued themselves together as part of the protest which is calling for urgent action on climate change.

Among them is Erica Lewis of Dartington who said from the scene: “XR rebels have just occupied Oxford Circus in an action led by women and people who identify as female.

“We have a pink structure in the middle of Oxford Circus with people locked onto it, and a circle of women surrounding it who are glued together and about ten of them are from Totnes and area.

“Eventually the police do break us up but it’s quite complicated for them to do that because of the lock-ons and the gluing.

“We are calling for the Government and the banks to stop investing in fossil fuels and to take the climate emergency seriously and act accordingly.

“The whole rebellion started on Sunday evening and each day since there have been actions in different parts of central London where different key junctions have been occupied by XR protesters for as long as we can.

“At the moment this area of London is at a standstill.

“There are samba bands here and people singing, and there are a few tourists hanging around the edges curious.

“I would say there are the best part of 1,000 people here at Oxford Circus.

“Our experience of talking to the general public is that people are much more understanding of what it is that we are trying to achieve than has been the case on previous XR rebellions.

“Far more people have heard about the IPCC report the week before last and the implications of that and are really understanding how little the Government is actually doing to address the emergency.”

The activists are demanding the government stop investment in fossil fuels following the “sobering” report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which said the world will reach or exceed temperature rises of 1.5C over the next two decades.

Erica, a retired life coach who arrived in London on Tuesday and will stay until Friday said: “I have to be here. The earth depends on it, our lives depend on it.

“We have to get out on the streets and show the government and the public and the corporations and the banks why we need to change and change quickly to address the climate and ecological emergency.

“I have seen lots placards saying I am here for my grandchildren. There are a lot of older people here.

“I have got young nephews, one of whom in particular is pretty down in the dumps because he can’t see a future.

“He is a pretty intelligent 23-year-old young man and he can see what is coming and just can’t see the point of planning a future. He is extremely worried.”

The demonstrations are set to continue into next week when the activists will focus their efforts on the City of London, in an attempt to highlight the links between “big finance, fossil fuels and the fossil of politics that is Westminster”.

At least 10,000 people have gathered at the protests and 118 arrests have been made for a variety of offences during the demonstrations.

The UK hosts the crucial COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this November, with XR and other environmentalists hoping to ramp up the pressure on the international community to take meaningful action.