Charles Goadby, a farmer in Warwickshire, accused the group of hypocrisy given their action on the environment

Campaign group Just Stop Oil have apologised for leaving plastic rubbish near a protest site on a farm, prompting accusations of hypocrisy.

Charles Goadby, a farmer, said he had found a pile of plastic bottles, chairs and other rubbish near a tunnel dug by a group of protesters in an effort to block the Kingsbury Oil Terminal in Warwickshire.

Mr Goadby accused the group of “destroying the countryside and putting our wildlife at risk with rubbish” in a video on Twitter.

“What I want to know from somebody senior at Just Stop Oil is, how is this acceptable?” he said. “How can you justify this?”

He also said the dumping of the rubbish was hypocritical given their action on the environment.

My message to @JustStop_Oil pic.twitter.com/LOVyXAnBCF

“What amazed me was in the rubbish there were loads of the non recyclable coffee cups and lids and loads of plastic bottles of water, still wrapped (so not being reused) and all from a brand that’s shipped from France,” he said. “Have an argument and stand up for what you believe by all means, but at least be consistent!”

In a statement in response, Just Stop Oil said Mr Goadby was “right to be angry”.

“Just Stop Oil is sorry that the site was not cleaned up, this is now being organised. The area should have been cleaned, so that the land, people and wildlife are protected,” it said.

The group added that the rubbish had been deposited by police after they cleared the tunnel when protesters were forcibly removed and arrested.

Around 50 campaigners were arrested at the site a week ago, when they blocked oil tankers entering and leaving the oil terminal for around four and a half hours.

The protest group, which wants the immediate end to licensing for the exploration, development and production of oil and gas in the UK, said the dumping of rubbish did not compare to the environmental destruction of fossil fuels.

“If you are more outraged and furious about this small mess than you are about the threat to land, people and wildlife posed by the climate crisis then you need to think again,” it said in a statement. “The damage that is coming, aided and supported by our government can not be picked up and taken away.”

Five of the protesters on Tuesday walked free from court, after admitting to breaching an injunction against blocking the oil terminal, which also stopped a worker getting to a medical appointment.

The protesters were accused of “stretching” the resources of police dealing with the Queen’s funeral by Judge Emma Kelly at Birmingham Crown Court.

The judge jailed each of the protesters for 23 days, but suspended the terms for two years, because it was their "first breach".

Sentencing them, she said: "Your actions caused significant harm to policing in Warwickshire when resources were already stretched to capacity by the Queen's death.

"Simply because of the sheer number of you who had chosen to gather in one place, it created a risk of clearly significant harm should police be needed elsewhere."

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