Motorists might have spotted an unusual sight as they travelled along one of Bristol's busiest roads this morning.
Rowland Dye, who is a campaigner with Extinction Rebellion (XR) Peace in Bristol, dropped a banner above the M32 motorway today (Friday, January 22) in protest at nuclear weapons.
It pictured a nuclear explosion mushroom cloud with the poignant words 'never again'.
Standing on the footbridge between Easton and St Werburghs, former nuclear scientist Dr Dye waved an XR flag at 8am as curious motorists passed beneath.
His stunt coincided with the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into force today - the first legally binding international agreement to prohibit nuclear weapons.
The United States, Britain, France and other nuclear powers have not signed the treaty and boycotted talks that led to it.
St Pauls resident Dr Dye said: “Around the country many events are planned to publicise this new treaty, but of course things are difficult under the current lockdown.
"It’s immoral that Britain continues to hold nuclear weapons - yet the government wants to renew Trident."
Noting the "obscene" number of people that Trident missiles would be capable of killing, and the huge costs involved in the project, he said he felt he must "take whatever action I can" to raise awareness.
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'Madness'
Dr Dye, who has a PhD in nuclear medicine, continued: "In the midst of this health crisis everyone can see this money would be better spent on the NHS, fighting climate-change, or feeding our children.
"Trident puts us all at risk – every few weeks nuclear warheads are driven up and down the country from the factory near Reading to Scotland - bizarrely a convoy came through the middle of Bristol last September and along the M32.
"If there’d been a pileup and the warheads had caught fire possibly half of Bristol would have been evacuated and rendered uninhabitable.
"It’s time this madness came to an end."
Last February the defence secretary Ben Wallace announced plans to replace the UK’s nuclear warhead.
He told Parliament at the time: "Our independent nuclear deterrent is essential to defend the UK and our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies against the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life."
