Just Stop Oil protesters are demonstrating on the M25 for the fourth consecutive day – with closed-off junctions causing further travel disruption for motorists.
Junction 8 of the UK’s busiest motorway has been closed in both directions as police officers deal with activists scaling a gantry, Surrey Police said.
Essex Police said they arrested a woman who was trying to climb a gantry around 1.5 miles from Junction 28 clockwise.
“One lane was closed for a short time as officers responded to the situation,” the force said.
The Metropolitan Police said: “We’re ready to respond to any criminality on the M25 again today and will work quickly to minimise disruption and keep traffic moving.”
It added it was removing a person from a gantry near Junction 25 and that an individual was arrested for causing a public nuisance.
Kent Police said its officers are continuing to assist other forces in responding to any offences and disruptions elsewhere.
Reports on social media suggested there was a protest between Junctions 15 and 16, near Heathrow Airport.
Just Stop Oil said its supporters climbed gantries “in multiple locations” from 6.30am on Thursday.
It comes after a police officer was injured in a crash with two lorries while responding to protests on the motorway on Wednesday.
Read more: Who are Just Stop Oil – the climate activists who keep causing disruption?
Essex Police said an officer was struck and injured by a vehicle after a rolling roadblock was put in place due to a person being on the road.
Chief Constable BJ Harrington has warned it is “only a matter of time” before someone gets killed during the Just Stop Oil motorway demonstrations.
Just Stop Oil demonstrator Phoebie Plummer, a 21-year-old student from London, said: “I understand people must be frustrated with us, and rightly so, but we have to disrupt daily life because we are hurtling towards climate catastrophe, yet the government continues to betray me, my generation and people in the global South by issuing new oil licences.”
Just Stop Oil staged 32 days of disruption from the end of September and throughout October, resulting in 677 arrests and 111 people charged, with Met Police officers working a total of 9,438 additional shifts.
National Highways subsequently secured a High Court injunction to prevent Just Stop Oil protesters from disrupting England’s busiest motorway.
Essex Police said it had charged three people following Just Stop Oil protests at multiple junctions on the M25 on Wednesday.
The force said Daniel Johnson, 24, of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Paul Bell, 20, of St Germans Road, Exeter and Theresa Higginson, 24, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, have all been charged with causing a public nuisance and have been remanded in custody.
They will appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court via video link later today.
