Fully equipped with climbers' security gear, two activists climbed the tall Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square this morning, hanging out banners with the message "Stop Sellafield". The two intend to remain in the tree for as long as possible.

A member of the ground team, Bellona President Frederic Hauge stated, "every year at Christmas time Norway gives a tall tree to the English people. In return Norway receives huge amounts of radioactivity from the Sellafield nuclear plant in England, contaminating our Arctic seas."

Scientist have measured an alarming increase in levels of radioactive techetium-99 in sea weed and shell-fish since 1994, when Sellafield dramatically increased its discharges of the compound to the Irish Sea. Technetium-99 has a half-life of 211,000 years, and hence accumulates in the nutritional chain. Now, the British are planing to increase the discharges even further.

"To save some lousy pounds, the British have chosen to keep up a pollution discharge that nobody knows the consequences of. What we do know for certain, is that we'll have to live with those consequences for posterity", Hauge said.

Coincidentally, Camvista.com has put up several webcams at Trafalgar Square. If you're lucky, you'll see some of the activists.

More pictures

The ground-crew of Santas gathered around a horizontal "Stop Sellafield" banner.

Nils Bøhmer/Bellona

Protesting Santas made a splash on Trafalgar Square this Friday.

Nils Bøhmer/Bellona

High in the Norwegian Christmas tree sits the Bellona Santa, waving his anti-Sellafield banner...

Nils Bøhmer/Bellona

Night fell over the square at around 16:00, and the tree was still dark, despite it having been officially lit by the Norwegian crown princess yesterday. Yet, the police had done nothing more than jot down name and number from the Preciding Bellona Santa's passport earlier in the day.

Nils Bøhmer/Bellona