Oil protests: High Court grants injunction against Essex demonstrations

Essex Police said it had spent £1m dealing with the demonstrations

An injunction to prevent people protesting at oil terminals and outside petrol stations has been granted at the High Court.

Essex County Council and Thurrock Council applied for the order that gives police powers to move on anyone attempting to block the sites.

The injunction applies to all petrol station forecourts in the county as well as several oil terminals.

Activists have staged protests across the county for several weeks.

Protest group Just Stop Oil wants the government to halt new oil and gas projects.

Essex Police has made 461 arrests in connection with the demonstrations which started in Thurrock on 1 April.

The force said it had spent £1m dealing with the protests.

The injunctions cover areas around the Navigator oil terminal in Grays, Inter Terminal UK's site in Grays, OIKOS' bulk liquid storage site on Canvey Island and Thames Oilport in Stanford-le-Hope, as well as other key fuel infrastructures sites and filling stations in the county.

Under the terms of the order, protesters are prevented from blocking roads, stopping vehicles and gluing themselves to the road or vehicles.