Around 400 people gathered in Hastings town centre on Friday as part of the Strike4Climate protest before marching to the pier.

Students from St Leonards Academy, Rye College, Robertsbridge Community College and Hastings Academy among those taking part carrying placards prepared for the day.

Peter Chowney, Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Hastings said; “I was very proud of our local young people when I joined them for the Strike4Climate protest on Friday.”

He noted what he described as, “a big attendance this month, the movement seems to be growing.

“It’s good to see local schools allowing young people to attend too, at a location where they’re visible and adults can see how much this issue means to them.

“It’s their lives that will be ruined by the inaction of adults if drastic measures are not taken to limit global warming. Their protests need to be heard, and we need to act on them.”

Mr Chowney says government plans to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050 was a good first step but isn’t enough, he says: “The target needs to be brought forward to 2030 and major shifts in policy implemented now – not all of those policies will be popular, but the consequences of inaction are catastrophic. We must act now, and it’s wonderful to see our young people taking the lead in demanding exactly that.”