ROADS were blocked and traffic left at a standstill as pupils protested against a lack of action on climate change.

About 200 children gathered in North Street in Brighton at 11am this morning and sat down in the road as campaigners took it in turns to deliver speeches though a megaphone.

The road was completely blocked for 30 minutes and several buses, which use the road on their usual routes, were left in a stationary queue behind the protesters.

They then paraded through the city before arriving at their end point at The Level.

This is the sixth time this year youngsters in Brighton and Hove have skipped school and taken to the streets to campaign for more action to be taken to fight climate change.

The last march on June 21 saw thousands of protesting pupils march from Churchill Square to The Level chanting and waving banners.

Earlier today Brighton and Hove Buses warned passengers the march could cause disruption to its services.

A Brighton and Hove Buses spokesman said: "We’re aware of another Youth Strike 4 Climate Protest due to take place today between 11am and 2pm in central Brighton.

"At this stage, we’re unable to confirm details of the route nor how this will affect services.

"Keep an eye out for any updates during this time."

The march was overseen by several Sussex Police officers and police vans travelled in front and behind of the crowd of campaigners.

The force said it would be working to limit the impact the strike had on the city centre.

A spokeswoman said: "We will be working to facilitate this event with the aim of keeping people safe and minimising disruption in the city.

"We are mindful children are taking part in the protest and are continuing to try and engage with the organisers of the event."

The protests are organised by campaign group Youth Strike 4 Climate Change, who have set up marches across the UK.

Their marches in February saw 10,000 students join the protests. By the time pupils were protesting in March, support for the campaign had swelled and more than 50,000 people joined marches in towns and cities all over Britain.

A spokesman for the organisation said: "We are choosing to rise up and take direct action where older generations have failed.

"We are already facing devastating and irreversible impacts around the world.

"This is our final chance to fight for our futures, and our ages will not be what stop us."

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