Ed Miliband is being urged to reject plans for a new coal-fired power plant at Kingsnorth

More than 1,000 environmental protesters formed a human chain around a power station.

Demonstrators from a number of different organisations who have formed a Stop Climate Chaos Coalition created the "Mili-band" around Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent.

They came from all over the country to carry out the stunt in order to gain the attention of Climate and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, whom they want to reject plans to build a new coal-fired plant at the Hoo Peninsula site.

Representatives from Oxfam, the World Development Movement (WDM), People and Planet, the National Federation of Women's Institutes (WI), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Woodcraft Folk were among those taking part.

After marching towards the site wearing yellow sashes bearing the words "Climate change kills", the protesters circled around the power station and used them as banners which they held to form a chain.

Once positioned the demonstrators, including men, women and children, chanted slogans such as "Oi Ed Miliband, keep the carbon in the ground" and "Miliband, don't be a silly-band."

They fear that energy company E.ON's plans to create the first new coal-fired power plant in Britain for 30 years at Kingsnorth would be a step backwards in the UK's commitment to fight climate change.

Environmentalists insist that coal is the most polluting way of generating electricity and are piling pressure on Mr Miliband to show commitment to tackling global poverty and climate change by rejecting the proposal.

Figures released by the WDM claim that creating a new coal plant could lead to 100,000 more people in the developing world losing their water supply during dry seasons.

WDM director Deborah Doane said: "We've got all sections of society represented here to show that this is not just a fringe issue. We want to send a message to Miliband that he shouldn't approve a new coal-fired power station."