Just Stop Oil protesters swooped on oil terminals across the UK on Friday.
(Picture: PA/’ handout)Police have arrested 14 eco protesters who broke into an oil terminal in west London.
Officers were scrambled to the terminal near Heathrow at 04.15am on Friday after actvists broke through a perimeter fence.
The protesters from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion blocked 10 sites across the UK including Birmingham Southampton and Essex in a call for the ditching of fossil fuels.
As well as locking themselves together or to oil drums some suspended themselves on bamboo tripods at the terminal in Staines.
The arrests were made for aggravated trespass and criminal damage and all 14 are still being questioned at a London police station.
Chief Superintendent Claire Clark said:“Today has seen multiple protests targeting oil terminals across the country.
“The Met has closely coordinated its response with other police forces, sharing information with the overriding priority of resolving each incident as quickly and as safely as possible.
“We understand and respect the right to protest but not the right to cause disruption to businesses and the public in this way. Such action taken by activists affects critical national infrastructure and diverts many officers from responding to emergencies in their communities.
“Being able to protest peacefully in a democracy is important but it is also important that there are consequences for those who break the law. We will take whatever action is necessary against anyone who deliberately chooses to act outside the law. This can include pre-emptive action where there is information and cause to do so.
“Police are trained to strict national standards and specialist officers are available to deal with a wide range of tactics being used by protesters.
“The Met’s arrests today, as well as arrests made by other police forces, have minimised disruption across the country.”
ExxonMobil UK, one of the country’s largest privately-owned underground oil pipeline distribution networks, said it had temporarily shut down four of its sites as a result of the protests.
Essex Police said it had arrested 13 people at three sites.
Seven activists were also arrested at a site in Tyburn, Birmingham, and taken into custody, said West Midlands Police.
While at Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Police said it had arrested 17 people and expected to arrest a further 10 once they had been safely removed.
Others were led away by police officers from protest sites in Purfleet in Essex and Hamble near Southampton.
