Kingsnorth will be the third protest organised by Camp for Climate Action, in what is becoming an annual event.

The camps are campaign gatherings, similar to peace camps, that take place to draw attention to, and to act as a base for direct action against major carbon emitters, and to develop ways to create a carbon-neutral society.

Camps are run on broadly anarchist principles and seek to set an example of what a sustainable society might be like. They are free to attend, supported by donations and with input from everyone in the community for the day-to-day operation of the camp.

The camps are organised into neighbourhoods, like mini-communities, which run their own affairs through daily morning meetings.

The neighbourhoods are formed on a regional basis, coming from right across the UK from Scotland to the South Coast.

In 2006 more than 600 people converged on the UK’s largest coal-fired power station, Drax, in Yorkshire, for a 10-day protest. It included workshops on alternative power sources and demonstrations against the power station.

Last year the venue was Heathrow, when about 150 people set up camp in Sipson village and took part in protests against the aviation industry.

The camp culminated in a day of direct action, involving more than 1,000 people. The main protest was a blockade of BAA headquaters by around 200 people. There were scuffles between protesters and police officers and 71 people were arrested.

The camp was largely welcomed by locals near Heathrow, who had already launched their own campaign against the expansion of the airport.

Christine Taylor from the No Third Runway Action Group, said; “The camp’s presence in Sipson suddenly raised the profile of our local campaign.”