Motorists clash with Insulate Britain climate activists blocking M25

The failure of police to immediately arrest climate change protesters who blocked five junctions of the M25 for up to four hours sparked fury today as a video emerged of officers protecting the law-breaking activists and dragging away an irate and incredulous driver who decided to take the law into his own hands. 

The unnamed motorist tried to pull activists off the sliproad, believed to be at junction three for Swanley, Kent, as another man repeatedly yells at a policeman: ‘I just don’t understand why you won’t move them’.

The driver trying to break-up the protest and tear down banners was then dragged away by officers who then returned to guarding the members of Insulate Britain, a new offshoot of Extinction Rebellion. 

There was also disruption and long queues at junction six for Godstone in Surrey, 14 for London Heathrow Airport, 20 for Kings Langley in Hertfordshire and 31 for Purfleet in Essex near the Dartford Crossing. 

Obstruction of a British road ‘without lawful authority or excuse’ is an offence under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980, with a punishment of a fine and up to six months in prison. Yet Junction 14 of the M25, close to Heathrow, it took four hours to arrest the activists and reopen the road at one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the UK.

With police again accused of being too scared of tackling climate change activists, one critic tweeted the video from this morning with the message: ‘Public servants stand by while the public do the job they are paid for. This bl**dy country at times is just beyond. They were happy to arrest people for going for a walk or stopping on a bench for a coffee’.

Officers from Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire and the Metropolitan Police dealt with the incidents that caused delays of up to three hours at rush hour. There have been 60 arrests but many questioned why it took up until Midday to break-up protests that began at 8am.

Drivers tried to remove a group at junction 20 of the M25 at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire as queues formed this morning. Hertfordshire Police then arrived but instead of arresting them immediately, around 50 officers guarded the group and set up a diversion. 

As well as taking aim at the police, drivers caught up in the chaos said that any sympathy they had for climate change protestors had now ‘gone’ after they targeted drivers trying to get to work rather than the Government who make policies on the environment. 

Angry motorists tried to pull climate change protesters off the road today after they caused chaos across five different sections of the M25 by blocking junctions, lanes and slip roads during the morning rush hour. 

National Highways said there was also disruption at junctions three for Swanley in Kent, six for Godstone in Surrey, 14 for London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five and 31 for Purfleet in Essex near the Dartford Crossing.  

The AA slammed the co-ordinated action as ‘incredibly dangerous’ and ‘causing more delays and more vehicle emissions’, with tens of thousands of drivers affected as they tried to get to work on the motorway this morning. 

A former chief constable said the protest was ‘extraordinarily dangerous’, while motorists – some of whom were stuck in traffic for three hours with young children – said it was ‘madness’, with one urging police: ‘Move them.’

Hertfordshire Police arrested 18 people at junction 20, which also caused delays on the A41, while Essex Police said 12 people were arrested at J31 on suspicion of highways obstruction. All five blockades had finished by noon.

AA president Edmund King told MailOnline: ‘This action is not only incredibly dangerous in potentially putting lives at risk but it also backfires in environmental terms by causing more delays and more vehicle emissions.

‘These are some of the busiest sections of the M25 where tens of thousands of drivers will have been affected and has a negative knock-on effect on economic activity.’

Insulate Britain is an independent campaign launched on August 20 by members of XR, who want the Government to reduce home heating emissions to zero.

One protester from the organisation told LBC this morning: ‘We are so, so sorry to disrupt people. We want to set the Government a really doable task.’ 

Christian Climate Action, which is a faith-based arm of XR, said that Christians including clergy were involved today, telling its Twitter followers: ‘Prayers appreciated.’ 

But former chief constable Sir Hugh Orde said: ‘It’s worth reminding ourselves these people tried to stop a live motorway running, that is extraordinarily dangerous. It puts their lives at risk, it puts motorists’ lives at risks and it puts police officers’ lives at risk.’

One motorist, Sam, from Bromley, South East London, who did not wish to share his second name, said he has been stuck in the traffic on the M25 with his two young children for three hours due to the climate protest.

The 37-year-old had been on his way for a day out at a farm on a ‘rare day’ he has time for a day trip with his family. He added: ‘I am seething at how irresponsible and selfish their demonstration is.

‘It is ill-considered and poorly executed. I am all for change and reducing fuel poverty but there are more sensible ways to lobby and protest.’

Ask how his young children, aged two years and six months, are coping having been in a car for so long, he added: ‘We are managing but the whole thing is completely unnecessary.’

Other motorists vented their fury on social media today, with Bill Templer tweeting Surrey Police to say: ‘Move them! We are stuck on M25.’

Another, Linda Morgan, wrote on Twitter: ‘Blocking the M25 on a Monday morning is madness. Majority of drivers aren’t on there through choice.’

And a third, Kat, added: ‘What about hospital workers getting to work? My husband goes via M25 – should he cancel his morning list?’ 

Supporters of the group include Ben Derbyshire, who is the former president of the Royal Institute for British Architects and a commissioner for Historic England.

He said today: ‘Britain has the leakiest and poorest performing housing in Europe that contributes 20 per cent of our total climate emissions.

‘Instead of fiddling while Rome burns with a series of ill-thought through programmes, reliant on private investment and debt, Government needs to invest in a major programme of deep renovation for energy efficiency with measures to support the supply chain, hitherto endlessly messed around with by half-hearted and inconsistent subsidies. 

‘The cost benefits for health and well-being, unemployment, homelessness and delivery of a levelling-up programme (otherwise dependent on long term and grandiose transport projects) will pay back the investment amply.’

Among the protesters involved today was Liam Norton, 36, an electrician from London, who said: ‘Since waking up to the crisis we are all in, due to the catastrophic breakdown in our climate, I have been shocked at the lack of significant action from our government. They need to face up to reality. It will destroy our economy and the fabric of our society. They are being incredibly reckless. 

‘They are betting the farm on technologies that don’t exist. A stitch in time saves nine which means if we spend money now we’ll stop a catastrophe later down the line. It’s a no brainer. Insulating Britain will reduce emissions, provide hundreds of thousands of jobs and stop our elderly dying in cold homes each winter. 

‘So stop messing about, Boris, and get on with the job. As soon as a statement is made that we can trust and is meaningful we will get off the roads.’ 

Zoe Cohen, 51, a self-employed mother from Warrington, Cheshire, added: ‘It’s now proven beyond all doubt, humans have broken the climate with the emissions from fossil fuels.

‘The world my generation, and my parents’ generation was born into has gone, and it’s never coming back. The world’s politicians need to be honest and accept this. 

‘They need to wake up and do what’s necessary to stop the kids being on an escalator to climate hell. We need real action from our government to reduce emissions in this Parliament – 2050 is far too late.’ 

An Insulate Britain spokesman said: ‘We are demanding the Government and Boris Johnson create hundreds of thousands of jobs, lower our emissions, and save lives.’ 

The organisation added that its actions would continue ‘until the government makes a meaningful commitment to insulate Britain’s 29million leaky homes’. 

It claimed that its demands for the Prime Minister were delivered to Downing Street by hand on August 21, but so far no-one from the Government has responded.

Insulate Britain’s listed mailing address is a Victorian semi-detached house in Streatham, South London, constructed in 1882 and now worth £1.5million. 

The group has been holding campaign meetings since June 29, and held gatherings over the weekend in the Somerset town of Taunton as well as Bath and Bristol. 

It describes itself as ‘a new group demanding that the Government gets on with the job of insulating Britain’s homes’. 

The group has two main demands – one is that ‘the UK government immediately promises to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025’.

And the other is: ‘That the UK government immediately promises to produce within four months a legally binding national plan to fully fund and take responsibility for the full low-energy and low-carbon whole-house retrofit , with no externalised costs, of all homes in Britain by 2030 as part of a just transition to full decarbonisation of all parts of society and the economy.’

An Essex Police spokesman said: ‘We are currently dealing with an incident near junction 20 (Hemel Hempstead) of the M25 involving a small number of protesters.

‘Officers are at the scene. The M25 is currently closed at junction 20 westbound, and as a result there is heavy traffic on the A41. Motorists are advised to avoid the area where possible.’

Chief Inspector Paul Austin added: ‘This incident caused significant disruption and our officers worked to resolve it as quickly and safely as possible. I want to thank the drivers affected for their patience and understanding.’

Relating to the protest at junction six, a Surrey Police spokesman tweeted today: ‘We’re currently overseeing a protest at junction six M25 reported just before 8am.

‘Number of protesters from Insulate Britain are at the location, slip road closed and diversion being set up. No arrests made at this stage. Please avoid the area.’

And Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police was called at 8.10am to a report a group of people were obstructing the road at a roundabout where the B1273, in Swanley, and junction 3 of the M25 meet.

‘Officers are in attendance and are engaging with the individuals involved. A diversion, which will allow drivers to join the motorway at junction 4, is in place.

‘Traffic is moving, but motorists are advised to expect delays and, if possible, use an alternative route.’

The latest wave of XR protests in London which began last month saw 480 people arrested and 81 activists removed after gluing themselves to structures.

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