16 Activists Arrested After M25 Chaos Near Heathrow
Police have cracked down hard on activists trying to bring the M25 to a standstill. In a swift operation across multiple forces, 16 protesters were arrested amid tense scenes at one of the UK’s busiest motorways.
Man Clambers Onto Gantry, M25 Closed
At 8am on Tuesday, a man climbed onto the overhead gantry at junction 14 of the M25, sparking major disruption near Heathrow Airport. The reckless stunt forced police to close the road quickly, causing chaos for commuters and freight.
Officers arrived at the scene just 10 minutes later. By 8.30am, the man was removed safely and arrested before being taken to a south london/" title="London">London police station. The road was reopened by 8.46am, easing traffic snarls.
Joint Police Blitz Across Essex, Surrey, and Kent
The arrest operation involved the Met alongside Essex, Surrey, and Kent Police forces. Their coordinated effort targeted Just Stop Oil activists aiming to cause serious trouble on the motorway.
“The Met, in a joint operation with neighbouring police forces, has again responded swiftly and robustly to today’s attempts by Just Stop Oil activists to disrupt the M25,” said Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.
He stressed the pressure these protests are placing on police resources:
“Since the start of October we have used more than 11,000 officer shifts to police Just Stop Oil protests. These are officers who would otherwise be dealing with issues that matter to local communities such as knife crime, safeguarding and responding to burglaries.”
Assistant Commissioner Twist vowed a tough stance:
“We are determined to bring to justice all those who conspire to cause significant and unreasonable disruption to London and the motorway network. We’ll work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to make sure this happens.”
