Greenpeace activists close down BP stations in London

BP petrol stations in central London have been shut down by environmental activists.

Campaign group Greenpeace claimed it had shut off the fuel supplies to all stations in the area. The oil company said about 20 had been closed.

BP said activists stopped the flow of fuel by flipping safety switches on forecourts, then removing them to prevent the petrol stations reopening.

Greenpeace said it wanted the company to adopt greener energy policies.

A BP spokesman said the petrol stations would be reopened as soon as it was safe to do so.

He described the stunt as "an irresponsible and childish act which is interfering with safety systems".

Greenpeace said the protest was being held to urge Bob Dudley, who will take over from outgoing BP chief executive Tony Hayward from October, to move away from "his predecessor's obsession with high-risk, environmentally-reckless sources of oil".

At one station in Camden, north London, Greenpeace climbers replaced BP's logo with a new version showing the green "sunflower" disappearing into a sea of oil.

At others, protesters put up signs saying: "Closed. Moving beyond petroleum." Greenpeace said the safety switches will be returned.

The organisation's executive director John Sauven said: "The moment has come for BP to move beyond oil.

"We've shut down all of BP's stations in London to give the new boss a chance to come up with a better plan.

"They're desperate for us to believe they're going 'beyond petroleum'.

"Well now's the time to prove it."

BBC