OWNERS of Britain’s biggest power station have declared record profits as its workers strike after rejecting a below-inflation pay increase.

Drax power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, declared its earnings are up 84 per cent to £731 million in the last 12 months, but it has proposed a wage increase of only 8 per cent for its workers.

Drax has received £6 billion from taxpayers in “green” energy subsidies over the last four decades plus and £800m is due this year.

More than 180 members of union Unite at the station launched a series of weekly 24-hour stoppages on Monday this week over pay.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said earlier that Drax was “a classic case of greed by a company which is already generating eye-watering profits.”

Drax has six fuel burners, two burning coal, which are being phased out, and four burning biomass — wooden pellets imported from the US.

Environment campaign Greenpeace says that although it receives huge “green” subsidies from taxpayers, biomass burning causes carbon emissions and destroys forest in the US to create the wooden pellets.

Greenpeace head of UK climate Mel Evans said: “It’s maddening to see Drax announcing record profits while its workers strike to avoid a real-terms pay cut, and its customers suffer fuel poverty.”

He said Drax’s biomass power is “built on deforestation” and “questionable carbon accounting.”

A spokesman for Drax said the company was “disappointed” and that the strike “will see colleagues lose money instead of securing a significant pay rise.”