A CLIMATE change campaigner from Brightlingsea sentenced for planning to invade a power station has vowed to carry on fighting to raise awareness.

Chris Kitchen, 32, was one of 18 protesters sentenced this week after being found guilty last month of planning to trespass at Eon’s coal-fired Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire and shut it down for a week.

At Nottingham Crown Court, the Dean Street resident was handed a two-year conditional discharge after a jury found he was guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass.

Outside court, Kitchen admitted campaigners had a “lot of convincing to do” to persuade people to support their opposition to coal-powered plants.

He said: "There's been a dip in public perceptions of climate change, really what I think we have to bear in mind is there's some powerful vested interests trying to affect the debate on climate change.

"Eon constantly tells everyone how green they are, they spend an enormous amount of money on their PR campaign, at the same time they're burning coal. If we continue to burn coal we're going to cause irreversible climate change."

Prosecutor Felicity Gerry told the court the cost to the public purse was around £20,000 per defendant - of which only £3,000 will be recouped.

Judge Jonathan Teare, sentencing, described those convicted as “decent men and women with a genuine concern for others”.

But he said: "Your actions - criminal actions - have cost the country hundreds of thousands of pounds in the police operation and investigation, and the subsequent criminal trial.

"It is sad to reflect that this very expensive criminal trial has probably more than fulfilled your ambitions for publicity."

But Kitchen said afterwards: "We're part of a growing global movement for climate justice and it's not our decision how much the police spend on trying to stop us.

"What we want to stop is companies like Eon making these enormous profits.”

Around 100 people from all over the country were arrested when police raided the Iona School in Sneinton, Nottingham in April last year.