CAMPAIGNERS gathered at a Suffolk airbase yesterday to protest about the level of carbon emissions from American planes.

CAMPAIGNERS gathered at a Suffolk airbase yesterday to protest about the level of carbon emissions from American planes.

The group paid a surprise visit to RAF Mildenhall's main gate to make a point about the impact of aircraft pollution on the environment.

They highlighted the level of carbon emitted by many of the aircraft on the base, which is home to a refuelling and support wing of the United States Air Force.

The protesters claimed one refuelling plane on the base uses 44 gallons of fuel a minute and is the equivalent of 2,000 cars on the road.

On average, they said, the 15 carriers at RAF Mildenhall each fly 435 hours a year, which the group estimated would produce over 160million kg of carbon a year.

Mell Harrison, a protestor with Theatre of War group and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said: “We are here to show that military aircraft can not only carry out terrible attacks but also commit crimes against the planet.

“You very rarely hear about the vast amounts of carbon dioxide military emit and at a time when we should all be accountable for our carbon footprint we should not be fighting wars over oil resources.”

Fellow campaigner Peter Lux said: “Even if you don't believe the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are as counter productive as we do, there is still a large amount of unnecessary flying.”

Many of the protestors marched from “the climate camp”, which is permanently based on the fringes of RAF Mildenhall.

A spokeswoman for RAF Mildenhall said aircraft fuel consumption and performance was an issue for its procurement decision-makers in Washington.

She said: “The air force tries to be a good steward of the environment and we understand the protestors' concerns but we must balance that with completing our mission.”