Wildfire-hit residents remove Greenpeace mural of Burnham from scorched mountain

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Wildfire-hit residents remove Greenpeace mural of Burnham from scorched mountain

BBC Science · 3 hours ago

Residents of Capelulo in Conwy, north Wales, removed a Greenpeace mural depicting Prime Minister Andy Burnham that had been painted on a mountainside scorched by wildfires, saying the artwork felt like an "intrusion into grief". The July wildfires burned around 200 acres, forced the evacuation of 36 homes and prompted a major incident declaration by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, leaving affected residents deeply upset when Greenpeace subsequently used the blackened landscape as a canvas for a climate protest.

The 1,120 sq m image showed Burnham holding an oil drum beside the words "Our house is on fire Andy", aimed at highlighting oil and gas drilling. Hairdresser Allie Evans, who had been evacuated during the fires, and Rhos-on-Sea resident Dean Ward used rakes to break up and remove the paint, though some patches proved too "baked" to fully clear. A local Senedd member accused Greenpeace of "environmental vandalism", while the group said the water-based paint was safe and had only been applied to already-burnt ground, insisting its aim was to highlight the climate crisis rather than cause offence.

  • Residents scrubbed away a Greenpeace mural of PM Andy Burnham from a wildfire-scarred mountain
  • They called it disrespectful, an "intrusion into grief" for fire-hit locals
  • Greenpeace says the water-based paint was temporary and meant to highlight climate change

Science

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