Two rebels from Falmouth have thrown a house into the River Thames to highlight the issue of rising sea levels.

Mechanical sculptor Rob Higgs and boat builder Katey Burak travelled to London for an Extinction Rebellion stunt over climate change.

They built the prefabricated suburban house in Falmouth before transporting it for the protest that took place during the early hours of Sunday.

Rob said: “When I hear the facts about climate change my brain can scarcely comprehend them, they are vast and scary.

"We wanted to make something that people can visually connect to, whilst leaning on the government and the experts to make the changes that need to be made.

"Until they make the big legal and financial changes, it's very hard for people like me or you to make significant changes to protect ourselves and the world around us.”

Scientific predictions of rising sea levels by 2100 range from less than one metre to as high as five metres.

Extinction Rebellion said that under new sea level rise projections, Stratford, Barking and Dagenham and large swathes of South and West London, East Anglia, Essex and Kent will be underwater by 2050.

The Falmouth group has already promoted the issues closer to home in Cornwall, warning that villages such as Flushing will be lost to the sea.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests a rise of less than two metres, but the group has argued that past assessments have "almost always underestimated" the pace of climate change.

The rate of melting Greenland ice sheets recorded this summer was not predicted until 2070 and at its peak the ice was melting at a rate of 140,000 tonnes per second – a total figure equivalent to 200 river Thames.

Katey said: “Sadly, climate-change is something that affects every one of us. We want to respectfully raise awareness of the severity of the impending human-made disaster.

"We need urgent action to address the climate emergency and devastation of our beautiful and precious natural world, which is being decimated at an unprecedented and tragic rate.

"We implore the government to act responsibly and we will continue to make our voices heard until they act.”

The pair added that their action was perhaps unnecessary as it took place at the same time as real-life flooding was taking place in homes in Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

"Many people in the UK have had life-changing experiences this week, and there will be many more in low-lying and coastal areas affected by flooding over the coming winter.

"We stand in solidarity with all of those who have lost their homes and livelihoods and will continue to demand action until the severity of this national and global emergency is realised," the added, thanking the Hermitage Wharf Community Moorings for its help.