Five protesters descended on three locations, prompting police to close parts of the street. The campaign group has declared London’s ring road a “site of political resistance” following this week’s record temperatures and what it describes as the government’s “inadequate preparations” for climate change. The band issued a statement saying the record-breaking heat was “undoubtedly the most significant moment in UK history”. “All-time temperature records are being broken, thousands of people are expected to die of heatstroke, and the liars and conspirators vying to lead us are too busy fighting each other to even care,” the statement said. Protesters climbed signs at junction 10 eastbound near Cobham, Surrey, Poyle Junction at Heathrow between junctions 14 and 15 and in Dartford between the Queen Elizabeth Bridge northbound and junction 30. Surrey Police later said a 22-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of endangering road users, causing a public nuisance and being a pedestrian on the motorway. “Three lanes had to be closed while we worked to safely remove the woman, which involved a team of specialists trained in dealing with incidents at height,” it said. Just Stop Oil campaigners climbed cranes and lowered banners, forcing police to close the M25 on Wednesday morning (Just stop the oil) Louise Lancaster, 56, a former teacher and mother-of-three from Cambridge, was among those protesting. In a statement on the Just Stop Oil website he said: “The world is on fire, it must be made clear now to the people of this country, you have been lied to, you have been bullied by the government and the media fed by the oil barons and their greed. We have a serious, serious emergency. action must be taken. The government should not license 40 new oil fields. The government must act quickly to deliver on its climate commitments and protect the future of our young people.” Just Stop Oil previously blocked the M25 and petrol forecourt, damaging more than 50 fuel pumps, with 35 people arrested during a protest in April. The M25 has been the subject of repeated environmental protests after Insulate Britain also targeted the motorway last year. The rise in incidents has prompted Home Secretary Priti Patel to push for new powers to curb such protests. “Prevention of serious disorder orders” were among those included in a series of controversial police powers in new Public Order Billand would authorize police to electronically tag disruptive protesters and restrict where they go, who they meet and what they do in person or online, even if they haven’t committed a crime. But Ms Patel’s department – the Home Office – warned earlier this year that the plan would likely break the law. A Home Office analysis suggested persistent climate campaigners were “not deterred by the threat of arrest” and said proposals for serious disturbance prevention orders “essentially remove an individual’s right to protest and are very likely to lead to a legal challenge”. .
