ADVERTISEMENT billboards promoting HSBC bank were commandeered by campaigners in 10 UK cities yesterday to expose its investments in fossil fuels and detention centres in the US.

Protest group “Brandalism” replaced HSBC’s advertisements with their own artworks, accusing the bank of investing in “climate colonialism,” including £67 billion in fossil fuels since the Paris Climate Accords of 2015.

Among the cities targeted was Sheffield in South Yorkshire, where climate activist Bob Calder said: “We’ve known about climate change for decades, and it is rapidly getting worse.

“HSBC have recently made an announcement about ‘net zero by 2050’ but they still continue to plough massive and ever-increasing amounts of money into the biggest polluters.”

Elizabeth Fox, an environmental science student at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “People don’t realise where their money is invested, and I find that terrifying.

“These artworks from Brandalism are a timely reminder of how big polluters like HSBC deceive the public with their advertising and use it to distract from their harmful investments.”

HSBC has been approached for comment.