Chris Packham is among the celebrities who will lead a protest on Sunday demanding the freedom of penguins trapped in a basement enclosure without fresh air or daylight.

The TV presenter and naturalist will be joined by Undertones star Feargal Sharkey and green industrialist Dale Vince outside London Aquarium.

Speaking ahead of the demonstration, Mr Packham said: "The vastness of Antarctica and the southern islands versus a perpetually dingy underground bunker beside the Thames; this is no place for penguins. It's 2025. We have moved on. This ghastly situation is a Victorian relic of abject animal abuse. Daylight! Daylight! These poor birds have never seen the sun. It's bloody obscene."

The Daily Express has backed Born Free and Freedom for Animals' calls for the 15 animals to be moved to a more suitable enclosure.

A petition calling for them to be moved has amassed more than 15,000 signatures.

The Express was previously threatened with legal action for daring to call the penguins captive.

Twenty four cross-party MPs, dozens of animal welfare groups and celebrities have backed demands for the animals to be moved.

In the wild, gentoo penguins can dive up to 600ft and swim up to 22mph but their tiny 6ft to 7ft pool at Sea Life deprives them of their ability to express their basic natural behaviours of swimming and diving.

Campaigners also repeatedly warn that the Gentoos' wild populations are deemed "stable" with over 750,000 adult individuals, meaning there is no justification in keeping them in captivity.

A Sea Life London Aquarium (SLLA) spokeswoman previously said: "The welfare of all the animals in our care is of paramount importance to us at Sea Life and we are committed to delivering the highest levels of care through our team of dedicated welfare experts, both internal and external.

"Sea Life conforms to all requirements under the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice by providing the relevant zoo licensing authorities with access to its animal records.

"This is in addition to regular visits including zoo licence inspections by these local authorities, alongside additional external inspectors and independent vets, who monitor animal welfare and data on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so.

"SLLA also carries out its own regular health checks on all the animals in its care, while an independent specialist vet also visits every two months for routine assessments, and can also be contacted daily with any other concerns.

"The Gentoo penguin habitat at SLLA was designed with help and advice from specialist vets. It provides an excellent balance of water and land for the penguins which enables them to express their normal behaviours and there is space for them to ensure they have sufficient privacy.

"As part of its overall mission, SLLA provides an opportunity to share the wonders of the natural world in an accessible manner. With the opportunity to educate more than a million people who visit SLLA from all around the globe each year to care for the world's oceans and the marine life within it, we believe this is a hugely positive thing."

To sign the petition to free the penguins, visit this page.