Davies and Sawalha stage Esso protest

Alan Davies and Julia Sawalha have staged a environmental protest outside an Esso petrol station.

The Jonathan Creek co-stars - who have been romantically linked - handed out leaflets urging motorists not to buy fuel from the oil giant.

Their protest in Camden, north London, coincided with hundreds of similar demonstrations across the country.

They were backing the StopEsso campaign, spearheaded by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and designed to highlight the company's stance on the environment.

Protesters claim the company denies the existence of global warming, used donations to pressure President Bush into walking away from the Kyoto treaty, and doesn't invest any of its $15billion-a-year profits into research into alternative fuel.

Sawalha said: "As an individual it's very easy to feel helpless in the face of huge environmental issues, especially global warming.

"But as I've found today, people are willing to boycott Esso. I don't buy Esso and won't until they face up to their responsibilities on global warming.

"We have to make it clear that we won't be bullied. That's why we are standing up to them."

Davies said: "It was because of Esso that President Bush walked away from the Kyoto global warming treaty.

"So it's simple, for as long as Esso tries to stop the world from tackling global warming, I'm going to stop buying Esso."

Esso claimed protesters were waging "a national campaign of misinformation against Esso".

It said it took global warming seriously, and was working provide cleaner fuels with lower emissions.

Published: 19 May 2002