Greta Thunberg has been arrested in London at an environmental protest outside a London hotel hosting a meeting of oil executives.

The Swedish activist was placed into a police van after officers led her away from the  InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane.

Protesters could be heard shouting “thank you Greta” as she looked out and smiled from the vehicle.

Organised by the group Fossil Free London, demonstrators attempted to block access to the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane by sitting and standing on the pavement by the entrance.

They also unfurled a banner on the side of the building.

Oil industry executives have gathered there for the annual Energy Intelligence Forum, with speakers including the heads of Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and Norway’s Equinor as well as net zero minister Graham Stuart.

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing a highway and taken into custody, the Metropolitan Police said.

The protesters say that fossil fuel companies are deliberately slowing the global energy transition to renewables in order to make more profit, highlighting how this year’s UN climate conference president Sultan al Jaber is also the chief executive of oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

Addressing journalists outside the hotel earlier, Miss Thunberg said: “The world is drowning in fossil fuels. Our hopes and dreams and lives are being washed away by a flood of greenwashing and lies.

“It has been clear for decades that the fossil fuel industries were well aware of the consequences of their business models, and yet, they have done nothing.”

The Telegraph has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.