Police have moved in on a climate change demonstration at a UK Government building in Edinburgh's city centre.
Officers can be seen standing by as protestors peacefully occupy the reception area at Queen Elizabeth House on Market Street.
At least half a dozen police vehicles are parked close to the scene, with officers keeping a close eye on the activity.
Police Scotland confirmed to Edinburgh Live that they are engaging with the protestors.
A spokesperson said: “Police are currently in attendance on Sibbald Walk, Edinburgh and are engaging with a group of peaceful protesters gathered within the UK Government building.”
Activists launched the sit-in early on Monday morning in protest at the controversial Cambo oil field. Plans to develop the 800 million-barrel site were submitted to regulators.
The oilfield - co-owned by Siccar Point Energy and Shell and located off the Shetland Islands - could provide up to 170 million barrels in the phase one extraction. However, environmentalists say the proposals go against the Scottish Government’s target of net zero emissions by 2045 just months before Scotland is due to host the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
Mikaela Loach, a fourth year medical student and climate activist said: "Floods are ripping through Germany. Madagascans are starving and thirsty in a fierce drought. North Americans are dying in unprecedented deadly heatwaves and wildfires rage. And the Amazon is emitting more CO2 than it absorbs.
"In all this chaos, the UK Government, host of the COP26 UN Climate Negotiations, is happy to sign away 800 million barrels of oil, just so a few shareholders can turn a profit.
"This is criminal. The Cambo oil field must be stopped."
The regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), part of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, is set to decide in the coming weeks whether to approve or reject the plans.
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