M25 protests: Activists block off parts of motorway for third time this week
The group also poured blue paint onto the motorway
Last updated 17th Sep 2021
Climate protesters have disrupted the M25 for a third time in a week, with the group behind the demonstrations claiming many had just been released by police.
Insulate Britain said 79 people attempted to block the London orbital motorway hours after their release from police custody following similar protests on Wednesday.
Junctions three, at Swanley in Kent, nine, at Leatherhead in Surrey, and 28, near Brentwood in Essex, were targeted as well as the A120 towards London Stansted Airport.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has criticised "selfish" climate protesters who brought traffic to a halt on the M25 while police are appealing for footage of the demonstration.
Protesters from the Insulate Britain group stopped thousands of motorists at four junctions on Britain's busiest motorway shortly after 8am on Wednesday for the second time in three days.
The demonstrators, including some who had glued themselves to the road, were demanding Government action on home insulation.
Scores of protesters were held on Wednesday by officers deployed from four forces - Surrey Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Kent Police and the Met - and totals given by each force suggest 86 were arrested overall.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps called the M25 climate protests "dangerous and counterproductive" and urged police to take "swift action to clear the roads".
He wrote on Twitter:
"This is dangerous and counterproductive. We all agree that climate change must be tackled, but this sort of behaviour achieves nothing, puts drivers at risk and INCREASES pollution. I expect the police to take swift action to clear the roads."
On Thursday evening, Ms Patel spoke out against the "guerrilla tactics" used by protesters which she said "detract from their cause".
She said:
"Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there will always be space for legitimate groups to make their voices heard.
"But this Government will not stand by and allow a small minority of selfish protesters to cause significant disruption to the lives and livelihoods of the hard-working majority.
"The guerrilla tactics used by Insulate Britain detract from their cause and I know the public will agree that the scenes on the M25 this week were completely unacceptable."
Following Wednesday's demonstrations, Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said:
"The actions of this group have significantly impacted the major road network around London.
"Removing individual protesters who have glued themselves to the road or locked themselves on to something is a complex and resource-intensive challenge and we must do this in a safe and effective way.
"It is our view that this behaviour is unsafe and irresponsible, creating risk for themselves, other road users and officers."
In a statement, Insulate Britain said:
Early this (Friday) morning, 79 people from Insulate Britain attempted to block the M25 for a third time in a week, hours after being released by police. They are demanding that Boris gets on with the job of insulating Britain’s homes starting with the homes of the poorest people in the country.
The campaigners aimed to block a number of roundabouts and junctions on the M25 network. At Junction 28 in Essex, the police were ready and waiting for the campaigners. They managed to prevent 12 out of 20 from making it onto the carriageway, leading them off in handcuffs. The remainder managed to get onto the road and partially blocked the carriageway.
Elsewhere, blue paint was poured onto the road, which will lead to further disruption.
Insulate Britain says actions will continue until the government makes a meaningful commitment to insulate all of Britain’s 29 million leaky homes by 2030, which are among the oldest and most energy inefficient in Europe.