Climate Change Protest on M25: Activists return, blocking motorway

Climate change protest continues to disrupt the M25, blocking roundabouts and the motorway.

Activists are causing delays at a number of junctions. This includes 23 for South Mimms in Hertfordshire; 10 for Wisley and 8 for Reigate, Surrey; and 1a and 1b for Dartford, Kent.

Surrey Police have arrested 25 people, while Herts Police have 18 detained.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng condemns the action, saying it is risking people’s lives. He describes the actions as “highly disruptive” to people travelling to work and those transporting vital goods. And it is also “putting lives at risk on a busy motorway”. “Not to mention the resulting traffic delays will only add to vehicle emissions,” he adds.

For the second time in three days, dozens of activists stopped traffic on three parts of Britain’s busiest motorway. Videos on social media show angry motorists beeping their horns at demonstrators sat on the road.

The protests

Surrey Police received reports of the protest just after 08:00 BST on Wednesday, as protesters from Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion crowded at junctions eight and 10. The force remained at the scene, but managed to clear activists from both junctions by 10:15 BST.

The police also had a four vehicle collision to deal with on the anti-clockwise carriageway at junction nine for Leatherhead. A road closure stayed in place while emergency services attended the incident.

Herts Police were called at 08:00 BST to a protest near junction one of the A1M southbound / junction 23 of the M25 at South Mimms. They arrived at the scene “within minutes”, and “attempted to engage with the group” following “clear, national standards” and balancing “the rights of people to protest with the rights of those affected”.

However, protesters repeatedly ignored officers’ requests for them to “move to a safer and less disruptive location”. They glued themselves to the tarmac, evidently aiming to “cause as much disruption as possible”.

Superintendent Adam Willmot thanked the public for their “patience and understanding”.

Meanwhile, Kent Police received reports at around 08:20 BST that two groups of people obstructed the road around junctions 1a and 1b for the Dartford Tunnel and Princes Road. Attending officers engaged with the individuals involved, some of whom had their hands glued to the road surface.

Police advise drivers to avoid the areas affected and find alternative routes where possible.

Insulate Britain “are back”

Today’s action follows a string of protests on Monday where police made 77 arrest after five junctions were blocked. The group said Insulate Britain “are back”, with 89 of its members taking part in the latest event.

The activist group say: “You’re angry. So are we… But sitting in the road makes Boris Johnson sit up and take notice, so we’re staying, until 10 Downing Street #getonwiththejob”. They are campaigning for the government to “insulate all the homes of this country”. This is a “real step” towards “the biggest reduction in carbon emissions”. But the way they see it, the “government refuses to get on with the job”.

Blockade tactics are backfiring

Responding to Monday’s protests, a spokeswoman for the government says: “People’s day-to-day lives should not be disrupted, especially on busy motorways where lives are put at risk and resulting traffic delays will only add to vehicle emissions”.

This year, the government is investing £1.3bn in supporting people to install energy efficiency measures. Meanwhile, the upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will show how to decarbonise homes in a “fair, practical and affordable” way.

Elsewhere, Edmund King from the AA says he understands people’s need to take action on climate change. But motorway blockades are not the right way to go about it as they are just alienating the public caught up in the chaos. These tactics are just backfiring and resulting in more emissions from vehicles stuck in traffic. The blockades are stopping essential deliveries, important appointments and emergency services. The irony is that due to queues caused by the demonstration, a thermal insulation engineer was prevented from going to work.

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