Insulate Britain: M25 protesters released under investigation

There have been several protests around the M25 in the past two weeks

People arrested in connection with Insulate Britain's protest blocking the M25 have been released under investigation, the Met Police said.

Fifty three people were arrested following the demonstration at Junction 14, near Heathrow, on Monday morning.

A High Court injunction banning protests around the M25 and Dartford Crossing was issued on 23 September.

It stated demonstrators were banned from "causing damage to the surface" on or around the M25.

On Monday, some glued themselves to each other, to barriers and the carriageway, and blue paint was sprayed onto the road.

Activists have blocked the M25 six times in the past two weeks.

As well as targeting the London ring road, protesters have blocked other major routes including the A1(M) and A20 near the Port of Dover.

The protest was held on Monday morning

The campaign, which entered its third week on Monday, has seen more than 300 arrests.

Kent Police said one person was charged in connection with an earlier Insulate Britain protest, among 96 arrests made by the force.

In an open letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, the group vowed to continue their campaign despite arrests and injunctions.

They said: "You can throw as many injunctions at us as you like, but we are going nowhere."

A Department for Transport spokesperson responded: "The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but we will not tolerate the guerrilla tactics we have witnessed over the last two weeks.

"That is why we sought injunctions to put an end to this behaviour. These are now in place, meaning that if people protest, or encourage others to do so, they face prison or an unlimited fine."

The group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, is calling on the government to insulate all homes across the UK by 2030 to help cut carbon emissions.

The government said it was investing £1.3bn to support people to install energy efficiency measures.