Campaigners launched a protest outside a Barclays branch in Leytonstone in opposition to the bank’s funding of fracking.

Protesters from Waltham Forest Friends of the Earth camped outside the High Road branch on Thursday (October 27) to raise awareness of the bank’s 97 per cent stake in fracking firm Third Energy.

Third Energy has been given approval to begin fracking in Ryedale, Yorkshire, despite widespread local opposition to the plans.

Protesters offered Leytonstone residents “filthy fracked water”, in reference to issues with water contamination caused by fracking in the United States.

Nat Harding, coordinator of Waltham Forest Friends of the Earth, said: “We thought we’d do Barclays a favour by visually demonstrating some of the possible effects of their investment policies on public health.”

“We urge all Barclays staff and customers to write to discourage the bank from investing in such short-sighted energy methods, where the environmental and health costs far outnumber and outweigh the highly questionable economic benefits.”

Friends of the Earth are petitioning the government to call a halt to all fracking in the UK and hold a full risk assessment after several drilling licences were issued.