Latest: Up to 20 TDs and ministers are stuck inside Leinster House this evening because of climate change protests.

Members of Extinction Rebellion are blocking both exit gates, so Oireachtas members are unable to return home.

Most of them working away in their offices but one TD had requested to leave for family reasons and was denied by protesters.

I don't want to use the word trapped so I'll use stuck instead... There are a number of TDs now stuck in Leinster House as the @gardainfo won't/can't open the gates to let them drive out due to the protest. The number of Gardai almost equates to the number of protesters. pic.twitter.com/BZMEVqaH0A — Noel Byrne (@noelbyrne) October 10, 2019

Top of Kildare St...the #ExtinctionRebelion blockade of the dail is holding... pic.twitter.com/2mFpM01ecK — Richard (@rchrdcllnn) October 10, 2019

"From what I understand - now obviously we are in our offices - there are protestors at both gates of Leinster House," said Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice.

"We have plenty of work that we can be at in our offices and everyone has the right to protest.

"We can stay here pretty late but the only thing you'd be worrying about with the city being blocked up is people trying to get home from work and pick up children and all that."

Earlier today, there were major protests at London City Airport.

A climate change protester was arrested on board an Aer Lingus flight bound for Dublin.

Extinction Rebellion carry out fourth day of protest in Dublin

Update 1.30pm: Environmental activists have shut down Dublin city centre for a fourth day, for a protest over agriculture and forestry.

This morning, a small number of protesters set up camp outside the front door of Red Flag Consultancy’s offices in Ely Place, gluing themselves to the main entrance and garden fence of the Georgian property.

The group’s statement said they had chosen the offices, as the firm “has been associated with numerous harmful campaigns”, adding that the company has “recently been hired by several agriculture organisation’s (including Bord Bia) to promote Ireland’s meat and dairy industry as sustainable”.

Dublin city brought to a short halt today again by @ExtinctionR protestors dressed as trees protesting Sitka planting in Irish forests. #ExtintionRebellion pic.twitter.com/Jq2xRglloz — aoife-grace moore. (@aoifegracemoore) October 10, 2019

Karl Brophy, CEO of Red Flag, said that the group were misinformed.

“The Extinction Rebellion movement is undoubtedly well-intentioned, but this small group is missing the mark by protesting outside our offices,” he said.

“At Red Flag we’re proud of the work we do for our clients, including the work we do to counter misinformation about the health benefits and sustainability of the Irish meat and dairy industry. We’re especially proud to represent Irish products and produce all over the world.

“All of our work is based on facts and science, unlike the claims these protesters are making about us, many of which are false.”

The larger Extinction Rebellion group, who have set up camp in Merrion Street South throughout the week, donned costumes made of branches, trees and shrubs, and marched as a makeshift human forest across Stephen’s Green before forming a protest outside the gates of Dáil Éireann.

The group had initially planned to march to the front door of the Department of Agriculture on Kildare Street, however awaiting gardaí had blocked off most of the street with barricades to ensure politicians and staff could leave the Government offices.

The group held posters at the protest and chanted their opposition to the planting of Sitka spruce trees, which is commercially grown for logging, and the group claims is detrimental to natural Irish wildlife. Extinction Rebellion protesters march to Leinster House (Brian Lawless/PA)

Sitkas are a non-native coniferous tree that activists say drive out endangered wildlife such as hen harriers and curlews, birds that they say could be extinct in Ireland in the next 10 years.

The group believe that current Government forestry practises and targets will not deliver on EU biodiversity goals or carbon reduction targets of the Paris agreement.

Oisin McNeil, speaking outside the Dáil said: “Ireland has the second lowest level of forestry in the EU at 11%, mostly Sitka, which creates ecological dead zones, this cannot go on any longer.”

Extinction Rebellion say they are a non-violent, direct action, climate change protest group who are holding a series of disruptive protests throughout the week in Dublin and around the world.

On Wednesday, the group protested through fashion retailer Penney’s on O’Connell Street against the retailer’s sale of mass-produced, low-price clothes and the effect on the climate.