AMAZON's fulfilment centre in Tilbury - a huge warehouse where hundreds of thousands of items are sorted daily for distribution - was targeted by environmental campaigners Extinction Rebellion today.

Both the HGV and staff entrances to the site on Windrush Road were blockaded by protesters who laid down in the road and used vehicles and a large' bomb' to close the entry and exit points.

That caused a significant build up of HGV vehicles within the site waiting to leave and - as police arrived to deal with the incident - long delays to traffic on busy passing roads.

The protest in Tilbu was one of 13 nationwide by the activist group which also blockading fulfilment centres across the UK including Manchester, Bristol and Dartford to mark the retail shopping day known as 'Black Friday'.

Campaigners issued a statement saying "Black Friday exploits people and planet."

Amazon has come under criticism for the treatment of its staff, with 1,000 ambulance call outs to its UK depots since 2018 and 178 to its Tilbury site, where a worker died earlier this month.

They have cited poor working condition for Amazon's staff as one of their causes, as well as the environmental impact they claim Amazon has, saying, for example, in one recent year Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — greater than the carbon footprint of many small countries.

In advance of this morning's action in Tilbury, which happened as dawn broke, police advised drivers to avoid the area.

A police statement issued at 5.30am today (Friday, 26 November) says: "We are dealing with disruption, which is taking place in Windrush Road, Tilbury, where a number of people are protesting near to an Amazon depot.

"Officers are engaging with those at the scene to ensure the area remains safe.

"However, we expect some disruption to run into the morning rush hour and we are asking motorists to plan their trips accordingly.

"We will provide an update on the situation when we can. Thank you for your patience."

As noon approached both entrances to the Tilbury Amazon site remained blockaded. An updated video report can be found on our Facebook page via this link.