Hundreds take to PipeWalk route in mass protest against Peak Cluster Pipeline

Hundreds walk across five counties via foot, bike, and tractor convoy to demand answers on Peak Cluster pipeline safety and ecology.

UNITED KINGDOM, September 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Sunday, 27th September, close to a thousand residents across five counties took to the streets, fields, and lanes in a coordinated mass action to oppose the proposed Peak Cluster carbon capture pipeline.

Dubbed the ‘PipeWalk’, local communities demonstrated along the entire 128 miles of the proposed route. Protesters covered the course on foot, by bike, in a tractor convoy, in a motorcade, and even on a rocking horse, sending a unified message to developers and policymakers: NO to the Peak Cluster pipeline.

Organised by campaign group Action Against Carbon Capture and Storage, the event highlighted growing public opposition to the scheme, citing major unresolved concerns surrounding pipeline safety, emergency response planning, ecological damage, and taxpayer liability.

Ruth George, one of the organisers of the PipeWalk, said: "People didn’t turn out today simply because of house prices or what might happen on their own doorstep. They came because they care about something much bigger: our environment, our ecology, our wildlife, and the species that cannot stand up and speak for themselves.

"From one end of the proposed route to the other, people stepped outside their front doors and stood alongside neighbours they’d never met to show that our communities still have a voice. Today, the proposed pipeline route became the PipeWalk."

Despite corporate assurances, major questions remain unanswered regarding the long-term environmental impacts and financial risks of the Peak Cluster project to the public purse. Campaigners are demanding full transparency and rigorous scrutiny before granting any further approvals.

Action Against CCS is calling on local councils, MPs, and government regulators to listen to the thousands who demonstrated and demand clear, verifiable answers to the safety and ecological risks posed by the pipeline.

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Editors' Notes:

Participation Numbers: Approx 1000 people took part in the walk, although many came to offer their support.
Geographic Scope: The 5 counties the PipeWalk crossed: Derbyshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West, Staffordshire, Wirral
Pipeline Dimensions/Scale: 200 km long with a service width of over 30m, up to 36 inches in diameter
Proposed route cuts through the Peak District National Park, SSSIs, farmland, and residential areas. Already publicly opposed by Chester Zoo, Wirral Council, and Derbyshire County Council
Impact / Taxpayer Cost: Current public funding £28.6 million through the National Wealth Fund. Projected to increase to ~£5 billion. No clarity on ongoing funding requirements
About Action Against CCS: Action Against CCS is a community-led campaign group raising awareness about the safety, environmental, and economic risks of carbon capture and storage pipeline proposals across the region.
Spokesperson Ruth George: Ruth Stephanie Nicole George is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for High Peak from 2017 to 2019. A former Labour Party member, she has served on Derbyshire County Council since 2020.

Additional images and video are available.

Paul Richardson
Vividink Ltd
+44 1433 445001
paul@vividink.info
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Walkers reach the Wirral, the end of the proposed pipeline