CLIMATE change campaigners last night began a series of protests in the region designed to raise awareness of ongoing damage to the environment.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion staged a disruptive ‘die-in demonstration’ at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle city centre last night (Wednesday, April 24).

Tonight there will be a talk at Jesmond Library.

And tomorrow, a bicycle go-slow from Newcastle's Central Station, past St Mary's Cathedral, over the Tyne Bridge and to Gateshead Civic Centre aims to slow traffic while protestors hand out leaflets and demand local authorities to take action.

On Saturday afternoon, the group will stage mock funeral services on the streets of Durham to 'mourn the loss of species, humans and the planet'.

Extinction Rebellion is calling for 'decisive action on the climate and ecological collapse from governments around the world'.

The action in the region comes as campaigners scale back their protests in central London, during which more than 1,000 campaigners have been arrested. In one of their final acts in the capital, a group of protestors glued themselves to the London Stock Exchange this morning.