By Rachael Grealish

Just Stop Oil targeted the office of Workington MP, Mark Jenkinson with signs saying “climate criminal”.

The environmental group targeted the Conservative MP’s Maryport office, on Senhouse Street, on Friday, April 26, early in the morning.

In a statement, the group said they chose to target the MP due to his support of the Cumbrian Coal mine – which received government approval in 2022.

Mr Jenkinson arrived at his office after 8am and Cumbria Police were called.

Officers attended and started investigating following reports of damage having been caused to a window by an adhesive.

A woman in her 40s and a second woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, police confirmed.

Mr Jenkinson told The Herdwick News he was thankful to the police for a “prompt response” and criticised the actions of the protesters.

In a statement he said: “I hope the Police throw the book at these entitled morons who think they are above the law – I have it on good authority that the ringleader is spending some carbon neutral time in the cells. 

“These people could do with some time in the real world.

“I would like to thank Cumbria Constabulary for their prompt response, and members of the public who not only remonstrated with them, but even helped to remove some of the posters from the front of my constituency office.

“The window cleaner had only just washed the glass fronts, and had to come down to my office again cleaning up after these overgrown attention-seeking babies.

“Unfortunately, the film on the glass has been scratched and some of the paintwork damaged by the childish antics of these spoilt, middle-class climate clowns.

“This is not my building: we rent it from local business owner. One of my staff, who is typically engaged in helping constituents, had to spend the morning trawling through CCTV and cleaning up after them.

“I would like to add that that these fools came here in cars which run on fossil fuels – and it is quite clear that they care more about making a show of themselves than they do about the environment. 

“Their protest involved the use of paper from the felling of trees and plastic tape, which they left behind – adding fly-tipping to their list of climate crimes.

“As part of their protest, they used a traffic cone made from fossil fuel resources, including polymers from petroleum, and they were wearing synthetic clothes made from oil.

“They blocked off most of the pavement so that at least one elderly person walked on the road to avoid them. Children heading to school were also seen walking on the road.

“Wheelchairs or pushchairs would not have been unable to get through the cordon they put in place.

“They deliberately picked a sitting Friday because they thought I wouldn’t be here – but as it happens I was, and I gave them a few choice Anglo-Saxon words before they scuttled back to their hiding places as most people head to work.

“These people need to get a job, get a life, and, hopefully, a bath.”