A CLIMATE CHANGE protester from Weymouth has glued himself to a Van Gogh painting in London.

Louis McKechnie glued himself to the frame of ‘Peach Trees in Blossom’.

The painting was being displayed at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

McKechnie, 21, was joined by Emily Brocklebank, 24, for the protest as they called on the Government to end new oil and gas use and for art institutions to join them in civil resistance.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: "They were arrested and held overnight at Charing Cross Police station. As far as I'm aware they have not yet been released."

Louis McKechnie said: “As a kid I used to love this painting, my dad took me to see it when we visited London. I still love this painting, but I love my friends and family more, I love nature more. I value the future survival of my generation more highly than my public reputation.

“The scientists are saying we need to end fossil fuel licensing and the government is pouring sand in their ears. I’m not willing to be marched to my death by the fossil fuel companies and their government puppets.

“It is immoral for cultural institutions to stand by and watch whilst our society descends into collapse. Galleries should close. Directors of art institutions should be calling on the government to stop all new oil and gas projects immediately. We are either in resistance or we are complicit.”

The stunt is the latest in a series of protests carried out by the Just Stop Oil movement with five supporters arrested at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow after they also glued themselves to a painting.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: “The action comes amid warnings that the Provence region painted by Van Gogh may soon be experiencing drought. After a dry winter and Spring in which rainfall levels were 45% below historic averages followed by an extreme heatwave in May and June, France is running desperately low on water.”

As reported, last month McKechnie was convicted for his involvement in previous fuel protests that saw activists blocking access to oil terminals.

He was ordered to pay a total of £339, including a £200 fine.

He was also convicted at Stratford Magistrates Court for wilfully obstructing a highway and was ordered to pay a total of £269.