Protesters are causing widespread disruption on the M25 for a second day after several junctions were blocked.
Essex Police said officers are on the northbound carriageway of the UK’s busiest motorway near the Dartford Crossing, where a demonstrator, believed to be from Just Stop Oil, has climbed the gantry at junction 31, closing the Dartford Tunnel.
National Highways said there are currently delays of 60 minutes, with congestion for five miles.
Meanwhile, Hertfordshire Police said they are responding to a protest at junction 20 of the M25 near Kings Langley and urged motorists to seek alternative routes.
Surrey Police said two protesters have climbed motorway gantries between junctions 8 and 9 and junctions 12 and 13, stopping traffic in both directions on that part of the motorway.
Just Stop Oil said in a statement on Monday night: “Just Stop Oil supporters will continue the campaign of civil resistance on the M25 motorway network in the coming days.
“We ask everyone who is planning to use the M25, or associated roads, from 7am tomorrow (Tuesday) to be prepared for closures and severe delay to their journeys or to make alternative plans.
“Once again, we urge National Highways to implement a 30mph speed limit across the entire M25 road network in line with their responsibility to keep the public safe.”
The statement added that the Government’s refusal to halt further North Sea oil and gas extraction will contribute to global warming, which “will result in the collapse of ordered civil society, the loss of our rights and freedoms and the death of countless millions of people”.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said Just Stop Oil protestors do have a point “in (a) sense”.
He told Sky News: “I do think there’s a major issue when individuals can go on to motorways or even just outside Parliament, in fact, periodically, at will, just sit down in the middle of the road and disrupt the traffic – sometimes, indeed, emergency services get caught up in that as well.”
But when it was put to him that the environmental activists have a point, he said: “Well, they do in (a) sense. Couple of points… one is, absolutely, we are all determined, and this Government above all else is absolutely determined, to bear down on the use of fossil fuels.
“Second point I would make is that we do have to strike the right balance between the right of individuals to express their opinion and protest, which is absolutely fundamental to a civilised democracy – which is what we have in our country – and, at the other time, making sure that we don’t inconvenience the public or indeed endanger the public in some circumstances.”
