DERBYSHIRE, UK. September 29th, 2026 – Nearly 1,000 people from communities across five counties came together on Sunday, 27th September, to take part in a coordinated day of protest against the proposed Peak Cluster carbon capture pipeline. Participants gathered along the planned route to raise concerns about the project and demonstrate the strength of local opposition.
Dubbed the ‘PipeWalk’, local communities demonstrated along the entire 128 miles of the proposed route, which runs across Derbyshire, Cheshire West and East, Staffordshire and the Wirral.
Protesters covered the course on foot, by bike, via tractor convoy, motorcade, and even with a rocking horse, sending a unified message to developers and policymakers: NO to the Peak Cluster pipeline.
Organised by Action Against Carbon Capture and Storage, the event aimed to highlight growing public opposition to the scheme, citing major unresolved concerns surrounding pipeline safety, emergency response planning, ecological damage, and taxpayer liability.
Ruth George, one of the organisers of the PipeWalk, said: “People didn’t turn out today simply because of house prices or what might happen on their own doorstep. They came because they care about something much bigger: our environment, our ecology, our wildlife, and the species that cannot stand up and speak for themselves.
“From one end of the proposed route to the other, people stepped outside their front doors and stood alongside neighbours they’d never met to show that our communities still have a voice. Today, the proposed pipeline route became the PipeWalk.
“Despite corporate assurances, major questions remain unanswered regarding the long-term environmental impacts and financial risks of the Peak Cluster project to the public purse. We are demanding full transparency and rigorous scrutiny before granting any further approvals.”
Action Against CCS is calling on local councils, MPs, and government regulators to listen to the thousands who demonstrated and demand clear, verifiable answers to the safety and ecological risks posed by the pipeline.
