FORMER elected mayor of Copeland Mike Starkie has condemned the actions of environmental protestors over the past week. 

On August 29 protestors from the Earth First group gathered at the former Marchon site at Kells in Whitehaven in opposition to plans for a new coal mine.

The group stayed there until September 4 where they hosted workshops and gave talks.

Mr Starkie labelled their actions 'irresponsible.'

His thoughts were echoed by other members of the local government who opposed the environmental protests.

Mr Starkie said: "I think what they did was highly irresponsible. That is a contaminated site that needs to be cleaned up, and West Cumbria Mining can't put a shovel in the ground until all of the conditions have been discharged.

"Now they've been on there pitching up on that site and they had no facilities for toilets or other activities... they were uninvited and there illegally as the landowner didn't want them there.

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"I think the community has disagreed with it as they were there illegally and there are no toilet facilities, so they're even digging holes or they're creating an environmental hazard.

"If anyone wants to host an event in Whitehaven, they've got to get sign-off from the council, from Environmental Health, and the Health and Safety Committee, they've had none of that.

"Anyone putting any kind of event on usually needs permission of the landowner, so I think it's highly irresponsible.

"While I agree everyone has the right to protest that has got to be done in a sensible way.

"People like Friends of the Earth and other environmentalists need to be calling out this kind of behaviour because it does their cause no good, it just rubs people up the wrong way.

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"The reality is that in this country we have due process, and this mine has gone through a rigorous process where those who oppose it and those who are against it have had every opportunity to argue for or against it, and each time it's been approved as the right thing to do."

Earth First protestors said: "We encourage people to take direct action against those destroying the natural environment.

"We fight against the domination and exploitation of both people and nature."