Extinction Rebellion protesters BLOCK Amazon warehouse in Gateshead for Black Friday

It is being reported that climate change protestors have blocked access to the Amazon Warehouse in Newcastle this Black Friday.

Protestors are from the group Extinction Rebellion who are organising a series of Black Friday protests across the country.

The activists have attached weights to themselves and say they do not plan to move for up to 48 hours.

One protestor told BBC Radio Newcastle: "We'll be leaving here in possibly up to 48 hours maybe.

"The staff should be unaffected, we don't know what the response of the police is going to be."

The nationwide protest was launched at 5 am today and targeted centres in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

In the UK, protestors have gathered at Doncaster, Darlington, Newcastle, Manchester, Peterborough, Derby, Coventry, Rugeley, Dartford, Bristol, Tilbury, Milton Keynes and Dunfermline.

A Tweet from Extinction Rebellion Scotland read: "The action is on Black Friday to confront the exploitative & environmentally destructive business practices of one of the world’s largest companies: Amazon is known for tax avoidance, worker exploitation, wastefulness & ecological destruction."

The Amazon warehouse at Follingsby Max Industrial Estate, near Gateshead, was only opened in September 2021.

The warehouse is the size of six and a half football pitches.

The Extinction Rebellion protest comes on Black Friday, a big discount shopping day that sees huge turnover for retailers as customers shop for deals.