Extinction Rebellion attempts to block wooden pellet train heading to Drax but stopped wrong train

Extinction Rebellion protester, Diana Warner, who is understood to have been expected in High Court today, instead attempted to halt wood pellet train going to Drax Power Station outside Selby at 9am.

However Warner, dressed in bright orange hi vis and carrying a orange flag, flagged down a train that was part of Drax's network but not carrying wooden pellets.

Warner is understood to have participated in a number of Insulate Britain protests around the motorway network surrounding London earlier this year.

A Drax spokesperson confirmed to The Yorkshire Post that the train impacted was not carrying pellets but that a different train was temporarily halted.

She said: "This wasn’t one of our biomass trains as the protestor claimed. It was an empty train which was travelling to Drax, which was scheduled by Power Minerals to collect ash from the power station. Power Minerals is an independent company which markets Drax ash, a by-product of power generation, for use in construction materials (aggregates, breeze blocks etc etc).

"We understand that the protestor handed herself in to a Network Rail representative admitting trespassing on the track. Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but trespassing on railway lines puts the safety of train staff, as well as the protestors themselves, at risk.

"Drax Power Station generates renewable power for millions of homes and businesses. Since converting our power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, we have slashed our emissions from power generation by 90% - helping the UK’s electricity system to decarbonise faster than any other major economy."

Regarding her motivation for taking such drastic action, Warner has said: "I am willing to give up my freedom, and my house. These are all the material things I have. But there is everything to lose, if we lose the very fabric of our society, our economy, and such loss is what we’re heading for right now."

An earlier version of this article stated that the protestor stopped a train not connected to Drax. This was based on incorrect information passed to The Yorkshire Post and was corrected as soon as the error was pointed out.