Ecotricity founder Dale Vince has criticised the actions of Extinction Rebellion members arrested for causing damage to windows of a Barclays bank in London.

Mr Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers, said he supported the movement but clashed with founder Gail Bradbrook over their actions in a discussion on Talk Radio.

Ms Bradbrook said she believed cracking windows was a "proportionate response" to what the activist movement says is the role played by banks in global warming.

But Mr Vince it was not the right way to spread the message.

In a statement on his Facebook page, he said: "I'm a fan of XR and what they've brought to the environmental movement, but I'm not a fan of this action.

"Smashing bank windows wins headlines, but it doesn't win the hearts and minds of the people we need with us to create change."

He continued: "It's an aggressive act that will do more harm than good to the cause.

"Barclays undoubtedly have a lot to answer for, but so do many people and companies. This is not the way to reach them."

In the debate, he challenged a claim he was a businessman, saying he was "an environmentalist... working on these issues for 30 years."

Seven women from Extinction Rebellion were arrested after the incident at the bank.

Ms Bradbrook said: "What we want banks like Barclays to say, and other business leaders like Dale, is that the current political economy that we have actually incentivises harm."