Greenpeace in solar 'raid' on DoE

The environmental protest group Greenpeace yesterday attached 20 square metres of solar panels to the Department of the Environment's new central London headquarters in a dawn raid (left).

The move was intended to highlight how the Government is failing to support non-polluting solar power, which Greenpeace wants to see taking over from fossil fuels. Greenpeace said it would give the pounds 7,000 worth of panels to the Government, and also connect them to the building's electricity supply. But the Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer (left), said his new headquarters already had many environment-friendly features, including a pollution- and energy-saving combined heat and power system. Solar panels had been rejected by the department's experts, but his officials would discuss with Greenpeace the possibility of donating the panels to a housing charity. He congratulated the pressure group ''for keeping these issues at the top of the agenda''.