Climate loonies blockade Amazon warehouse in Coventry

The activist group, Extinction Rebellion, are planning on staying at the centre all weekend



Amazon 's huge distribution centre in Allesley, Coventry is set to be blocked off by protesters all weekend.

Extinction Rebellion has been at the site since 4am along with 13 other camps in the UK as part of a Black Friday campaign by the activist group.

Activists have told CoventryLive they will be there all weekend - in a move that will cause major disruption as the Coventry centre is at the heart of Amazon's UK operations.

Unlike other UK fulfilment centres, it is a receive centre, meaning all goods being distributed by UK fulfilment centres go through Coventry.

Sites in Doncaster, Darlington, Newcastle, Manchester, Peterborough, Derby, Coventry, Rugeley, Dartford, Bristol, Tilbury, Milton Keynes and Dunfermline have also been affected.

Activists arrived in the early hours of Friday to set up bamboo structures and “lock-ons” and held banners urging Amazon to cut its emissions.

An Amazon insider said: "It is one of the biggest sites in the UK.

"If you shut this one down you shut them all down. You disturb this one, you disturb the rest.

"They have cancelled everything."

As we were at the scene this morning, West Midlands Police (WMP) were turning away protesters arriving as others chanted "Amazon, shut them down".

A spokesperson for WMP said earlier today: "We were called to the Amazon depot on Sayer Drive, Coventry, just after 4am today to reports that a number of activists had blocked access to the site.

"Officers remain at the scene this morning and are managing traffic."

Arrests after access to Coventry Amazon depot blocked



Fourteen people have been arrested after activists blocked access to an Amazon depot in Coventry, police said.

People were held on suspicion of offences over aggravated trespass.

West Midlands Police stated people had been taken into custody on suspicion of offences relating to aggravated trespass.