New coal-fired power plants are a "black and toxic Christmas present", Christian Aid said this week.

The aid agency said indications that the Government will allow the building of new coal-fired power stations before technology is developed to capture and store their carbon emissions dramatically undermines the UK’s claim to be leading the battle against climate change.

Christian Aid wants a moratorium imposed on the building of any such stations until the technology is in place to deal with greenhouse gas emissions.

The agency said that coal-fired power stations like the proposed replacement plant at Kingsnorth, in Kent, would emit in excess of seven million tonnes of CO2 a year, more than the annual emissions of 30 developing countries combined.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband indicated in an interview in the Financial Times on Monday that new coal-fired power plants without carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities would be allowed for the next two decades.

Eliot Whittington, senior climate justice adviser at Christian Aid said: "We work in many vulnerable communities in poorer countries around the world which are already feeling the impact of climate change.

"A new generation of unabated coal-fired power stations in Britain will help exacerbate global warming, leading to deeper and more damaging changes in their environment.

"By apparently opening the door to new coal-fired power plants Ed Miliband has given the world a message that the UK isn’t serious about its desire to take a lead in battling climate change. That’s a pretty black and toxic present for Christmas."

Christian Aid says there is strong evidence that with proper investment, renewables such as wind and solar power along with improved energy efficiency in both domestic and commercial sectors will help fulfil the UK’s energy needs.

The agency is calling for resources to be spent on these power sources to fill any gaps that emerge in the UK’s generating capacity.