Just Stop Oil protests: Police officer hurt amid M25 disruption

Several sections of the M25 in Surrey, Kent and Essex have been closed for the third consecutive day due to protests.

Demonstrators have climbed on gantries over the motorway between junction 7 (M23) and junction 8 at Reigate, with the clockwise carriageway closed, Surrey Police said.

Disruption is also being reported between junction 4 at Orpington and junction 5 (A21/Sevenoaks) in Kent.

Traffic is also being held before junction 30 (Lakeside) in Essex.

Multiple arrests were made on Tuesday after a second day of widespread disruption by protesters.

The motorway was blocked and gantries were climbed by Just Stop Oil activists in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.

They said the action was to “demand that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents”.

The disruption comes as the COP27 climate summit is held in Egypt, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told world leaders the war in Ukraine was a reason to act faster to tackle climate change.

The Metropolitan Police said 16 protesters had previously been arrested on the motorway in a joint operation with other counties’ police forces.

On Sunday, the High Court granted an injunction preventing M25 protests, meaning anyone involved in any such protest could be found in contempt of court.

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