Mechanical Polar Bear placed on Shell station

Those pesky scamps at Greenpeace have shut down a South London petrol station by placing a mechanical polar bear on its roof.

It's all part of a bigger protest by the environmental campaigners over Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.

Around 100 petrol stations in London have been be targeted by the group's protest, with this one in Battersea being the most inventive.

Greenpeace's Sara Ayech told The Telegraph: "The oil giant Shell is preparing, for the first time, to unleash a drilling fleet of huge vessels upon the fragile and beautiful Arctic, home of the polar bears. It's time to draw a line in the ice and tell Shell to stop."

There have been 24 arrests, 18 in London and six in Edinburgh. The police in Edinburgh have reportedly parked cars outside all Shell stations across the capital.

Images: Greenpeace UK Flickr