The climate change group claims activists have been involved in blocking the highway “in multiple locations” since 7am on Tuesday. Essex Police said a protester climbed onto the bridge at junction 31, closing the Dartford Tunnel, and was later arrested. Kent Police said two protesters were arrested at Junction 1b (Dartford). The motorway was also affected by blockages in Epping, Cheshunt, Kings Langley, Reigate, Leatherhead, Chertsey, Staines and Slough, other forces said. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a total of 16 protesters were arrested in a joint operation with Essex, Surrey and Kent forces. Just Stop Oil is calling on the government to halt all new fossil fuel licenses in the North Sea. The group’s tactics are controversial, with many environmental experts claiming they are more divisive than helpful to the overall cause. One of the people who took part in Tuesday’s protest was social worker Charlotte Kirin, 53, from Bury St Edmunds. Image: Pic: Just Stop Oil He said he “will not turn my back on people whose lives are being destroyed for the profit of the rich.” Edred Whittingham, a 25-year-old student from Cambridge who also took part, said “politics is broken in this country and it’s up to everyday people to fix it”. Image: Pic: Just Stop Oil Just Stop Oil said that since it began organizing protests in April, there have been 2,000 arrests and five remain in jail. In relation to similar protests which took place on the M25 on Monday, the Met and Surrey police forces announced today that eight people have been charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
