Essex Police have warned that days of “exceptionally dangerous” fuel protests are creating an “unacceptable” risk of harm for police and activists.
The number of arrests is nearing 350 as activists from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion are blocking access to oil terminals in Essex by gluing themselves to the road and attaching themselves to fuel tankers with bike locks.
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Aggrieved drivers across the country – who are already having to handle increased prices – are complaining of huge queues and closed stations as a result of the protests.
Police said there have been 338 arrests since 1 April when protests began, and another 26 are expected to be made today, taking the total to 364.
More than 20 protesters arrived at Exolum Storage in Grays on Sunday morning.
Essex Police’s assistant chief constable Glen Pavelin said: “We cannot stand by while criminal acts are being committed, and lives are being put at risk, in the name of protest.
“We are not anti-protest. Our job is to preserve life and catch criminals, and that’s what we’re going to do.
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“Today’s protest is exceptionally dangerous due to where the protesters have located themselves within the site.
“Our officers have been diligent in ensuring that all protesters know the risks involved, and we’ve been working hard to minimise the dangers this morning.
“Put simply: we don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
The protests in Thurrock have cost the force “in excess of £1 million” it said.
Mr Pavelin added the “acts of criminality on site are not only illegal, but they are continuing to put themselves and our officers at real risk of harm and that is unacceptable”.
“We’ve been lucky to have extra support from specialist officers from across the country, to support some of our officers continuing with their day jobs,” he said.
Beyond Essex, Warwickshire Police said that a further 29 arrests have been made this weekend in connection with ongoing protests at Kingsbury Oil Terminal.
Those in custody have been arrested for offences including criminal damage, conspiracy to cause criminal damage and conspiracy to commit public nuisance in what assistant chief constable Ben Smith described as “another busy weekend” for the force.
This takes the total number of arrests to 180 since the protests began.
Mr Smith, who said there would be a heightened police presence at the site over the coming days, added: “This weekend’s protest activity has been contained to the Piccadilly Way area and has caused little disruption to the wider community, or to the operations of the oil terminal.
“While we will always recognise and respect the public’s right to peaceful protest, we will take action against anyone who breaks the law or causes significant impact on the local community.”
