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Just Stop Oil protesters BLOCK M25 in three places in demo that delays fuming drivers by more than an hour in nine-mile tailbacks as eco group vows to demonstrate on motorway all this week

 


  • In a statement today, Just Stop Oil has said it is declaring the motorway 'a site of civil resistance' this week
  • Group has asked that 'no one travels on motorway from Wednesday to Friday'  as they will 'block the highway'
  • Activists have scaled gantries over M25 in three areas, with road closures in place and police in attendance
  • Protests are taking place at the Poyle Interchange, J10 near Guildford and at J30 near the Dartford Crossing
  • Frustrated drivers, including bus driver who takes special needs children to school, caught up in huge delays
  • Just Stop Oil says protest is a response to temperatures rising above 40C for first time ever in UK yesterday

Just Stop Oil protesters have been hauled away by specialist climbing officers after they scaled gantries and blocked three parts of the M25 - causing nine hours of traffic chaos and fury among drivers.

 

Activists climbed a gantry over the M25 at the Poyle Interchange between Junction 14 and Junction 15 near Heathrow Airport, with police having to close the motorway in both directions before a man and two women were arrested. Severe delays are expected in both directions into the evening rush hour and beyond.

 

A similar demonstration took place near Junction 10 between Cobham and Guildford today, causing nine miles of traffic and hour-long delays. The stretch of the motorway has also since reopened following the arrest of two women and one man, according to police.


 

But the M25 just north of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge in Thurrock remains closed after a protester climbed another gantry between Junctions 30 and 31, causing around eight miles of queues and 90-minute delays.

 

In a statement released shortly before the demonstrations, Just Stop Oil said it was 'declaring the M25 a site of civil resistance' this week.

 

The group also asked that 'no one travels on this motorway from Wednesday to Friday this week as we will be blocking the highway'.

 

The statement added: 'We fully acknowledge the cost and disruption this will cause to the public and ask that they take their demands for compensation to the government which has caused this unprecedented threat to our lives and liberties.'

 

Bus driver Ashley Reid takes special needs children aged seven to 10 to a school in Leatherhead by travelling between Junction 12 and 10. He said his pupils, who started at 9.15am, were around 90 minutes late for their last day of term as a result of the disruption.

 

The 40-year-old, from Reigate, added: 'We joined [the motorway] just after 9am and we didn't arrive at school until 10.45am... with their autism [they] found it difficult to understand and stay calm.

 

'It was really disruptive and I felt so sorry for them... today was their last day before the summer break and they would all be changing classes so they just wanted to get to school and spend time with their teachers and friends.'

 

'I am sympathetic to the cause that these people are protesting against; however, they are disrupting a lot of innocent motorists and (in my opinion) will lose more sympathy than they gain.'

 

 

Ms Mani, another protester on a gantry at Junction 14, near Heathrow Airport, has also posted a video from her position over the motorway

 

 



Read More Here:   Daily Mail

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