Chaos on the M25 as Activist Climbs Gantry in Bold Protest
At 8am on Tuesday, a man sparked chaos by climbing the overhead gantry at junction 14 of the M25. This reckless stunt forced the motorway to close, snarling traffic and causing major disruption around Heathrow Airport.
Quick Police Response Ends Stand-Off
Officers rushed to the scene within 10 minutes, arriving at 8.10am. By 8.30am, they had removed and arrested the man. He was taken into custody at a South london/" title="London">London police station. The road reopened by 8.46am, easing the traffic nightmare.
Wider Crackdown Nets 16 Arrests
The protest was part of a larger crackdown. A total of 16 activists were arrested on Tuesday in a joint operation involving the Met, Essex Police, Surrey Police, and Kent Police.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “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.
“We are all absolutely committed to providing a quick and effective response to those activists who continue to significantly disrupt people’s daily lives.
“Operations like these come at a cost. 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 tackling serious issues like knife crime, safeguarding, and burglaries.
“We are determined to bring to justice all those who conspire to cause significant and unreasonable disruption to London and the motorway network and we’ll work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to make sure this happens.”
Activists Face Growing Legal Pressure
So far, 22 people have been charged in connection with this ongoing campaign to disrupt the capital’s vital road networks. Police vow to continue cracking down hard on protesters who jeopardise public safety and disrupt daily life.
