CLIMATE activists from across Scotland are to set up a two-day protest camp outside the gates of what they say is Scotland’s third largest polluter – the Mossmorran petrochemical plant in Fife.

Their protest follows years of complaints about flaring at the plant and they claim operators Shell and ExxonMobil have repeatedly breached environmental regulations there.

Strict Covid-19 precautions – including a cap on attendance – will be in place as the demonstrators set up camp next Saturday and mount a protest the following day in what is claimed to be the first climate camp in Scotland since 2009.Thje climate campaigners expect to be joined at the demo by local protesters.

The action follows campaigns by local residents, who have protested weekly at the site gates, conducted impact mapping of air and noise pollution from flaring, and submitted more than 900 complaints about the environmental and health impacts of the plant. It coincides with a day of international protests against fossil gas.

The two-day camp aims to build bridges between people who live in the shadow of the plant, workers, and the climate movement, while exposing failures of the Scottish and UK governments to deliver on their climate commitments in the run-up to Cop26 in Glasgow.

Jemma Kettlewell, a spokesperson for local campaign group Actions Speak Louder Than Words (ASLTW), said: “For communities living next to Mossmorran, the constant flaring is terrifying. It impacts on our mental and physical health.

“Residents have reported heightened anxiety, health impacts including itchy throats, asthma, headaches and migraines, and sleepless nights from light and noise pollution.

“The Scottish Government and SEPA have ignored local community concerns for too long. Now they must act. We need a Just Transition Board, made up of local residents and workers, to plan for the future beyond Mossmorran.”

Benji Brown, a spokesperson for Climate Camp Scotland (CCS), said: “From Germany to Madagascar, this year has witnessed record-breaking floods, fires, and heatwaves.

“Yet while the government pays lip service to the climate crisis, oil giants like Exxon and Shell get a free pass to carry on polluting.”

Bryce Goodall, a local resident and campaigner with ASLTW said they were fed up: “Local, Scottish and UK governments are completely disregarding the demands of residents to give the community a roadmap for closing the plant and transitioning the hardworking, highly skilled workforce into the renewable industries of future.

“This is why Actions Speak Louder than Words in collaboration with Climate Camp Scotland would like to warmly invite residents to join with us in our Mossmorran Action Weekend, where we’ll empower our community with the skills and knowledge needed to rise up, organise and hold our governments to account.”