Climate campaigners cycle to Horse Hill oil drill site

Campaigners said about a hundred people joined the march

Climate campaigners have cycled to a site in Surrey where an energy firm is starting to test drill for oil.

Protesters set out from Brighton earlier to ride to the Horse Hill site near Gatwick Airport where a march was taking place at midday.

Duncan Blinkhorn, chair of Brighton Climate Action Network, said about 40 cyclists were on the ride and about a hundred people joined the march.

UK Oil and Gas Investments (UKOG) has not commented on the protest.

The company has previously said it does not intend to use the controversial fracking technique to extract oil from the site.

But campaigners have told the BBC they oppose any kind of fossil fuel extraction, not just fracking.

Protesters cycled from Brighton and from Horley station

The protest group said some campaigners took a coach from Brighton and others cycled to the site from the city.

Other cyclists were riding from Horley station.

Protesters gathered outside the test drilling site on Friday to try to obstruct vehicles entering and leaving.

Earlier this month, anti-fracking protesters set up camp close to the site for a second time.

UKOG has said there could be up to 124 billion barrels of oil under the Weald Basin.

The protest was over fossil fuel extraction - the energy firm did not comment