Students, parents, children, babies, councillors and even dogs came together today to demand action over climate change.

Chanting 'hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go' more than 200 protesters took to the streets of Folkestone for the planned climate strike.

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The march coincided with a global campaign about the current climate emergency - with protests taking place across the country.

The large crowd met at bar Junction 13 at 12.30pm before walking down Sandgate Road to the town centre, down the Old High Street towards the harbour.

The group held banners bearing slogans such as 'climate action now', 'a green planet is a clean planet', 'climate justice: if not now then when?', 'system change not climate change', 'don't be a fossil fool' and 'there is no planet B'.

Another read 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children'.

The demonstrators, who included members of Folkestone's Green and Labour parties, halted at the Harbour Arm car park where Cllr Georgina Treloar (Green) addressed the crowd.

She spoke of Folkestone and Hythe District Council's recent decision to declare a climate and ecological emergency and vowing to become carbon neutral.

Hythe Town Council and New Romney Town Council have made the same declaration.

The activists then performed a song together, which included the lyrics: "We're gonna rise up, we're going to open our minds and do it now now now.

"We're gonna build a better future and we've got to start right now now now."

The group then made their way back to the town centre to perform the same song outside Town Hall.

Hilary Kenyon-Vaughan, from Hythe, took part in the march wearing a t-shirt from a previous protest 25 years ago.

She said: "I've been involved in environmental issues for as long as I can remember.

"Climate change has always worried me.

"I try to do what I can but it needs to be everyone working together."

Mrs Kenyon-Vaughan said the big turnout was 'heart-warming' to see, adding: "I've lived in the area all my life and I wanted to come to something local.

"It's so good to see such a big crowd."

The Folkestone strike was only organised five weeks ago by Trevor Twohig, author and owner of town centre bar Junction 13, Mike Shanahan, a biologist and author and Cherry Truluck, an artist and founder of community food-and-art project Custom Folkestone.

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Trevor said: "Climate action is not a spectator sport.

"We aim to build a local community of climate-conscious citizens, businesses and civic leaders who can work together to shape a better future.

"The Folkestone Climate Strike is just a start."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that climate-related risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth are projected to increase with global heating of 1.5°C and increase significantly with a 2°C rise.

But human activities have already caused 1°C of heating and global temperatures are currently on track for a 3-5°C increase by the end of the century.

Folkestone is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels and coastal erosion in all low-lying areas of the town and surrounding areas, including Romney Marsh.

Christine, another marcher, said: "I'm very concerned about climate change and the problems it's bringing.

"Towns like Folkestone on the sea are at the front line of these changes.

"We've got to expand awareness."

Other protests in Kent took place in Maidstone, Chatham and Sevenoaks.

Today is just the start of the action - Extinction Rebellion are planning on blockading the Port of Dover tomorrow.

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone