MP for Brecon and Radnorshire Fay Jones has criticised Extinction Rebellion and labelled recent press blockades as “Orwellian” in an online video.

Protestors delayed several national newspapers last weekend by using vehicles to block roads to the printing plants, while individual activists chained themselves to structures.

Ms Jones was not called to the House of Commons debate on the issue so took to social media to express her views.

The Conservative MP, in a video posted to her Twitter account, said: “I was really appalled to see what happened on Saturday, and I have to call out Extinction Rebellion for what they are doing. I say that as a passionate environmentalist.”

Ms Jones, who is a member of the Conservative Environment Network and vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Environment Group, urged for a more a united and conventional approach to fighting climate change.

She said: “I think it is so crucial that the climate crisis is tackled from within the mainstream. Not pushed out to the fringes and talked about in the same breath as hooliganism and the Orwellian act of blocking printing presses.

“We live in a free country with a free press and we’ve got to do everything we can to uphold that.”

Protesters targeted presses owned by Rupert Murdock at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, Knowsley in Merseyside, and near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. Demonstrators have accused the papers of failing to report on climate change.

Ms Jones said: “So my message to Extinction Rebellion is, work with us, not against us. We have to get to net zero by 2050 at the latest. We want to phase out unbated coal by 2025, we need to de-carbonise the housing sector and the transport sector.

“The Orwellian, frightening step of blocking the press has to stop and we need to work together much better.”