Giant pandas invaded Kingston at the weekend to highlight the upcoming Earth Hour event- the world’s biggest call to action to protect the planet.

The panda flash mob handed out leaflets explaining the event that sees people in 162 countries turning off their lights for one hour between 8.30 and 9.30pm on Saturday, March 28.

Earth Hour aims to raise awareness about the huge amounts of energy people consume on a daily basis and a number of Kingston businesses and residents have already agreed to switch off their power for one hour next weekend.

Surbiton based firefighter Simon Jakeman, who has been awarded the title of London's Greenest Firefighter, was out at the weekend talking to people about Earth Hour.

Surrey Comet:

The group went to Kingston University to spead the word about the event

He said: “In the UK alone, we're consuming three times our fair share of the planet's natural resources and we're facing the biggest environmental challenge our generation has ever seen.

“As a frontline firefighter I've evacuated flooded homes, diverted flood water, chased wildfires through forests and picked up the pieces after intense storms.

“I've experienced how extreme weather affects people’s lives.

“At its heart, Earth Hour is a community of people coming together to make change happen in their everyday lives.”

You can sign up for Earth Hour at wwf.org.uk/earthhour