Calls for a “climate emergency” to be declared in Greenwich have been rejected despite hundreds of people backing a campaign.

Concerned environmental activists pressured the authority to copy others across the country and declare an emergency state in the wake of climate change.

The council came under fire after the opening of the new Ikea store, which campaigners say has caused gridlock in east Greenwich, which could be made worse by the controversial arrival of the Silvertown Tunnel.

Members from the Green Party, Extinction Rebellion Plumstead and the Monster Raving Loony Party lobbied councillors as they arrived at the town hall on February 27.

Speaking at a full council meeting last night, Caolán Byrne of the Greens said: “You say you take best practice from other councils, and you’re a planning authority that delivers zero-carbon objectives.

“How is this possible that large retail outlets people drive to are being approved and that this council still backs the Silvertown Tunnel project which will put more vehicles on the roads?

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“How can my two-year-old’s nursery do more to combat climate change than this council?”

Campaigners want the council to become carbon-neutral by 2030, with their petition claiming “the roads cannot support the traffic, our lungs cannot cope with the fumes.  It is time for action.”

Dozens of local authorities across England and Wales have passed motions calling on leaders to declare the state of emergency over carbon emissions, with more due to follow.

It is part of a campaign by the Greens to encourage councillors to force authorities to act against climate change in the wake of warnings from the UN over a future climate “catastrophe”.

Nearby Lewisham Council made the dramatic decision at a meeting on the same night, but the situation was played down in Greenwich.

Councillor Denise Scott-McDonald, the cabinet member for environment, said the council is already implementing a climate strategy it approved years ago.

The councillor said: “I have looked at what other councils are doing, and it is not one size fits all. Different councils have different definitions of what an emergency is.

“One thing I did notice is that many put in place a climate change strategy to address issues in their area. In Greenwich we have had a strategy since 2016.

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“In that strategy it is broken up into six key areas, and it does give some guidelines. I would encourage you to engage with the strategy and if you have suggestions I will take them on board.

“There are lots of ideas in this document. Engage with the strategy and we are more than happy to talk about it.”

In Greenwich, environmental concerns are a priority for many residents, with hundreds campaigning against the arrival of the Silvertown Tunnel, Ikea, and more successfully over the so-called ‘toxic’ cruise port at Enderby Wharf.

Cllr Scott McDonald was quizzed last night following claims council officers would be “aggressively monitoring” traffic around Ikea.

“We are collecting data daily,” the cabinet member said.  “They (council officers) want to monitor it over a series of months and when they have enough data they will go back to Ikea if they need to address any issues, but it has only been three weeks and we don’t have enough information to challenge them on anything.”