Activists shut down Shell's Davos petrol station

The petrol pump was shut down by about 25 activists to protest against the company's Arctic drilling programme off Alaska.

Greenpeace said activists from Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy chained fuel pumps together to stop them from operating, and also placed three tonnes of ice on the station.

They also placed a lifelike polar bear on top of the ice, and hung a banner from the roof which read "Arctic Oil – too risky".

Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, who is at the World Economic Forum, said: "The huge risks that Shell faces in the Arctic are bad news for investors, for the pristine environment and for the climate itself.

"After a drilling season in Alaska that lurched from one dangerous incident to the next, the company has proved beyond doubt that it cannot operate safely."

Naidoo added: "Shell now faces a series of official inquiries and a level of public opposition that seriously threatens its brand.

"It's time for all oil companies to take a long hard look at Shell's torrid experience in the Arctic and consider this simple question: is it worth risking our global reputation for this?"

Shell CEO Peter Voser is also in Davos for the economic forum, where his company was yesterday given the 'Public Eye' people's award for the world's most

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