One-woman protest outside Barclays Bank over bonuses

Mrs Nike was astonished to learn about the £110m. bonus hand-out while on her way to celebrate International Women’s Day at Burnley Town Hall, and decided actions speak louder than words.

She said: “It is public money they are getting, but they are completely unaccountable. This isn’t about envy. Most people just want to have a living wage. I believe they are just greedy.”

Mrs Nike (65), former leader of Pendle Council, said people had been good natured and supportive about her protest, which she started initially in the bank on St James’s Street. She said: “Customers in the bank asked me questions and agreed those five men are not worth £110m., but eventually I was asked to leave. A PC and a PCSO came in. It is the PCSOs who are losing their jobs. They are paid by public money, just like these bankers, but they will be out of work because of the cuts.”

Barclays was bailed out in the 2008 financial crash. It has been forced to publish details about the pay of its top five staff as a result of an agreement with the Government, but has to provide only details on key executives rather than traders who earn considerably more.