Eco campaigners set up stall in Hackney markets at the weekend to chat to shoppers about climate change – with most urging the government to act fast.

Greenpeace volunteers in Broadway Market and Columbia Road Market discovered 72 per cent of the people they spoke to said they supported action even if it had a negative impact on their lives.

Volunter Fearghal Corbett, of Loddiges Road in London Fields, said: "The overwhelming majority of residents we spoke to are noticing local impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather and rising temperatures.

"Hackney council joined other council's around the UK in declaring a climate emergency back in February, but more needs to be done to tackle this imminent crisis."

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned we have just over a decade left to cut our carbon emissions in order to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees.

In late July, Britain experienced its hottest day on record, with the mercury hitting 37.9 degrees here in London, while a MET Office study revealed that the top 10 warmest years on record in the UK have all occurred since 2002.

Fearghal added: "The new government's first priority must be to tackle the climate emergency.

"Our conversations show we're already doing our bit here in Hackney, but we need our government to lead the way in reducing emissions and introduce policies that make it easier for people to live greener lives.

"We need to bring forward the deadline for reaching net zero to earlier than 2045 or our children will inherit an uninhabitable planet.''