Greenpeace activists occupied a Kent power station for more than 30 hours causing £30,000 of damage, a court heard.

The trial of six people who took part in a protest at Kingsnorth Power Station in Hoo in October 2007 began today at Maidstone Crown Court.

The five men and one woman are all charged with criminal damage. They are:

• Ben Stewart, 34, from Lyminge, Kent;

• Tim Hewke, 48 from Ulcombe;

• Huw Williams, 41, from Nottingham;

• Kevin Drake, 44, from Westbury, Wiltshire;

• Will Rose, 29, from London;

• and Emily Hall, 34, from New Zealand.

The court heard how the six defendants entered the power station at 6.30am on Monday, October 8, wearing orange boiler suits and hard hats bearing the Greenpeace logo.

Five of the group began to scale the power station chimney with the intention of painting the slogan 'Gordon Bin It' on the side, while the sixth defendant Tim Hewke remained outside the power station in contact with those inside and co-ordinating the protest.

Prosecuting, John Price, said: "By the time the five defendants climbed down at 1.30pm the following day, after E.ON obtained a High Court injunction they had managed to paint only 'Gordon' on the side of the chimney.

"This cost the company a few pence short of £30,000 to remove."

All six defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges on the grounds that they had a lawful excuse for damaging the chimney at Kingsnorth in order for them to protect other property in Kent and the world threatened by climate change.

The trial is expected to last six days.