Protesters are beginning to descend on Medway for a protest against plans to build a new coal-fired power station in Kent.

Around 100 people arrived on Wednesday afternoon to begin setting up the camp on a field less than a mile from Kingsnorth Power Station, the focus of a week of protest set to get officially under way on Sunday.

Around 50 police officers, including many drafted in from other UK forces, surrounded the perimeter fence, filming new arrivals and taking note of the details of registration details of vehicles entering the site located at Deangate Ridge, Hoo.

More than 3,000 people from across the UK are expected to join the protest, which launches officially at noon on Sunday with a march from Rochester town centre to the gates of the Kingsnorth plant.

~ Watch: The camp takes shape in Hoo >>>

The week is set to culminate on August 9 with a day of mass action with protesters attempting to shut down the station by land, sea and air.

Meanwhile E.ON, the energy giant which owns the 1960s-built power station, has condemned the decision by camp organisers to host a video on its website allegedly showing mass vandalism around the globe.

Graham Clark, the firm’s head of business resilience, said,: “We have said all along that we respect the Camp’s right to protest, but the scenes depicted in this video are completely unacceptable.

“The behaviour that the organisers of this event appear to condone completely contradicts their assurances that the event is a family-friendly affair and will cause minimal disruption to the local community.”

The footage, which can be seen at www.climatecamp.org, shows scenes of protesters marching through farmland, battling with police, brandishing flares and tearing down fences.

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