Insulate Britain: Ten arrested after protesters walked on to M25
Police managed to reopen the road within 30 minutes
Ten people have been arrested following protests on the M25 in Essex this morning.
Insulate Britain say 14 of its members were back out disrupting traffic as part of their 16th action on motorways and A roads.
The group said they decided to switch tactics though, moving from sitting down in the road, to walking towards oncoming traffic.
They said the decision followed 'feedback' that many drivers were frustrated by their actions.
A spokesperson for the group, who gave his name as Biff, said safety was "paramount'' and the protests would not have proceeded if cars did not slow down sufficiently.
"The intention is to enter the carriageway and walk towards the oncoming traffic along the white lines,'' he told the PA news agency prior to the protest.
"If cars don't slow down and are hurtling along at full speed then we will be on the hard shoulder wearing our hi-vis with the banners.
"We would hope that it slows down anyway.
He added: "We've had feedback that people are frustrated that they spent time in traffic queues.
"This is like a rolling traffic queue, so we'll move, and once they get to the front they will be able to move on.
"We're not planning to stop traffic but it could slow down to five miles an hour.
Essex Police say they were called at around 8am this morning to reports a number of people had been seen walking into the traffic on both carriageways between junctions 28 and 29.
Officers were able to remove the protestors and reopen the road within thirty minutes.
Chief Inspector Lee Devall said:
“Not only will incidents of this nature be frustrating for road users trying to reach their destination, walking into fast moving traffic is extremely dangerous.
“I’d like to thank road users today for their patience and understanding.
“You’ve helped us to clear the area quickly, to keep people safe, minimise disruption, and keep Essex moving.
“Our teams are experienced at dealing with incidents which cause significant disruption and are well prepared for them.”
“We will continue to deal with these incidents robustly.”
The action by protestors is in breach of an injunction currently in force against them.