Protesters who blocked an M25 junction this morning allegedly glued themselves to the tarmac in a bid not to be moved.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has confirmed 18 people have been arrested following the protest in South Mimms on Wednesday morning.
Campaigners from Insulate Britain blocked a section of the South Mimms M25 roundabout (junction 23) near to junction 1 of the A1 around 8am.
Multiple protesters sat themselves across the roundabout completely blocking access for drivers.
This caused major delays for motorists with traffic having been severely affected in both directions on the M25.
But traffic is starting to clear now, according to google maps.
Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed that 18 people have been arrested in connection with the protest.
Superintendent Adam Willmot said protesters had alleged that they had glued themselves to the tarmac, “making it clear that their aim was to cause as much disruption as possible”.
Breaking: Climate Protesters Insulate Britain are BACK blockading the M25. This is the same group who were arrested on Monday, now stopping traffic at J23. Screams of abuse & “we’ll lose our jobs” from stuck drivers. @LBC pic.twitter.com/zjhN0jatBK
— Rachael Venables (@rachaelvenables) September 15, 2021
He said: “Policing protests can be challenging and complex, and as such we have a dedicated command team managing the situation.
“We also have specialist resources working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, with minimum disruption to the public and local businesses. Officers are highly trained, and operations follow clear, national standards.
“Our officers were on the scene within minutes of us being alerted to the protest, and attempted to engage with the group, working to balance the rights of people to protest with the rights of those affected by their presence.
“However, protestors ignored repeated requests from officers to move to a safer and less disruptive location, and alleged that they had glued themselves to the tarmac, making it clear that their aim was to cause as much disruption as possible.
“Eighteen people have been arrested. We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding.”
Approximately 89 people from Insulate Britain, which has members from all over the country, blocked roundabouts and a carriageway on the M25 today.
It is the second time the group have taken to the motorway, having blocked several areas of it on Monday including the J20 junction at Kings Langley.
Eighteen people were arrested in connection with the J20 protest and were released under investigation.
The campaign group tweeted on Monday: "We are disrupting the M25. Why? We are demanding the government and @BorisJohnson create hundreds of thousands of jobs, lower our emissions, and save lives."
🚨We are disrupting the M25.🚨
— Insulate Britain (@InsulateLove) September 13, 2021
Why?
We are demanding the government and @BorisJohnson create hundreds of thousands of jobs, lower our emissions, and save lives.#getonwiththejob and #insulatebritain@10DowningStreet #M25 pic.twitter.com/gaeB7GLJfU
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