A Birmingham priest was arrested as he lay on the ground blocking an airport entrance as part of the massive Extinction Rebellion direct action in London.

Fr Martin Newell was said to have been praying, singing Amazing Grace and saying Our Father during the demonstration at City Airport.

The clergyman, a priest of the Passionist Order, was reportedly arrested on Thursday, October 10.

A picture of the 52-year-old showed him lying on the ground next to another man with what appeared to be a handcuff on his left wrist.

He travelled to London to take part in the protest with a group from Christian Climate Action – the Christian arm of Extinction Rebellion, and was said to have been arrested alongside a nun.

The protest was held against the environmental impact of aviation and the government’s support for airport expansion.

Father Martin Newell from Sparkhill pictured in 2018

The activists were attempting a three-day "Hong Kong-style occupation of the terminal building".

They were said to be highlighted what they claimed was the "incompatibility" of the airport's planned £2 billion expansion with meeting the Government's legally-binding commitment to meet its net carbon neutral target by 2050.

When asked why he was taking part in the protests, F rNewell said: “I am here to help raise the alarm, to call for a profound ecological conversion. The life of God's creation is under threat, especially the lives of God's poor.

"I am here to help protect our common home, our mother, our sister which is among the most abused of our neighbours, as Pope Francis has said".

Fr Martin Newell, a priest of the Passionist Order in Birmingham arrested at London City Airport after protesting against unnecessary air travel

Extinction Rebellion is an international movement with the stated aim of using civil disobedience to compel government action on climate breakdown.

The Committee on Climate Change(CCC), the Government’s official advisers, has said that growth at UK airports needs to be almost half the predicted levels if aviation is to meet the government’s target of aviation being net-zero carbon by 2050.

According to the latest Department for Transport data: the top one per cent of frequent fliers took 20 per cent of all flights last year, the top ten per cent took over 50 per cent of all flights, the top 15 [er cent took over 70 per cent, and 48 per cent of Brits did not fly at all last year.

Extinction Rebellion climate change protest

Scotland Yard's latest figures show 1,290 arrests have been made so far in connection with Extinction Rebellion protests in the capital this week.

Former Paralympic cyclist James Brown appeared in court on Saturday morning charged with causing a public nuisance during the group's protest at London City Airport on Thursday.

The 55-year-old, who is visually impaired, is accused of climbing on top of a British Airways plane and gluing himself to it, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

Brown denied causing a public nuisance and is due to stand trial on November 8.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Brown, of Magdalen Road, Exeter, said: "I am not denying what I did, but I was compelled to do what I did because of my concerns for the future of my children.

"We also know that non-violent civil disobedience has proven itself time and time in history to bring about radical social change, and that is exactly what we need right now to divert us from this catastrophic path we are on."

District Judge John Zani granted Brown conditional bail, prohibiting him from going within one mile of any airport in the UK.

Earlier on Saturday, police arrested members of Animal Rebellion after they staged a demonstration at Billingsgate Fish Market in Poplar, London.

The animal rights group stopped traffic from entering the market, leading to multiple arrests. The Metropolitan Police said 23 arrests had been made at Billingsgate as of 9.30am.

A spokesman said 22 of those arrests were for failing to comply with a condition imposed under Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.

One person was also arrested for aggravated trespass, the Met said.