Kettering Barclays Bank graffitied and posters stuck to windows as men, 84 and 59, arrested on suspicion of criminal damage

Two men aged 84 and 59 are in police custody after a Kettering bank was covered in graffiti and posters.

The pair have been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage after the incident at Barclays in Market Place at about 7am today (Monday).

Climate protest group Extinction Rebellion (XR) Kettering said the ‘artwork’ had been added to the front of the bank because Barclays is the largest European investor in fossil fuels.

A spokesman said: “This is an intervention. A few locals already spotted this XR artwork in the town centre today...here's why.

“Barclays is the largest European investor in fossil fuels and planetary destruction…we won't accept this immoral and disgraceful destruction of our future, happening right on our doorsteps. And we won't accept being fobbed off with empty promises.”

A Barclays spokesman said: “We are determined to play our part in addressing the urgent and complex challenge of climate change.

"In March 2020 we were one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, across all of our direct and indirect emissions, and we committed to align all of our financing activities with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement.

"We have a three-part strategy to turn that ambition into action: achieving net zero operations, reducing our financed emissions and financing the transition. In practice, this means we have set 2030 targets to reduce our financed emissions in four of the highest emitting sectors in our financing portfolio, with additional 2025 targets for the two highest-emitting sectors – energy and power.”