A new climate protest group damaged three University of Cambridge research centres last week, blaming “the failure of governments and companies to make change”.

The new group, called This Is Not A Drill, broke glass windows and doors and threw black paint at three university owned research buildings.

Vandals shattered ten windows at the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme. The group say the facility is “funded by 11 global oil companies whose purpose is to locate new fossil fuel deposits for them so they can make even more money”.

They also threw black paint on the entrance to Aveva, on University land in West Cambridge, a software company that “enables 19 of the top 20 petroleum companies”.

This Is Not A Drill also broke the glass entrance of the BP Institute in Cambridge, and spray painted messages on the three sites including “Cam Uni: Drop BP”.

A spokesperson for the group said that they had gone beyond the tactics of general disruption because “fossil fuel companies are killing us” and “[the University of Cambridge] works hand in glove with these companies while they pretend to be following the climate science and taking action.”

The spokesperson continued: “It is not hyperbole to call these companies murderers… we’ve been pushed to this point by inaction - the failure of governments and companies to make change following protests from groups like Extinction Rebellion shows that we have to take matters into our own hands.”

This Is Not A Drill says it will focus on Cambridge as it accuses the University of misusing its global reputation of a green image by having public relationships with oil companies like Schlumberger, Shell and BP.

The group’s website says that “fossil fuel companies won’t be tolerated”, and that these protests are their first but “probably won’t be their last”.

Temperatures across the UK have soared this week, with the mercury hitting over 40C for the first time ever (19/07).

The United Nations has warned that the sweltering temperatures are linked to global warming.