Four deny deliberately blocking Tower Bridge during climate protest
- Published
Police were forced to close the landmark on 8 April
Four people accused of disrupting traffic during a climate change protest on Tower Bridge in London have appeared in court.
The group, aged 19 to 52, pleaded not guilty to committing wilful obstruction of a highway at the landmark in April.
They stood to confirm their names, ages and addresses in front of a packed public gallery at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
They are due to stand trial at the same court on 10 February 2023.
Scarlet Possnett, 19, from Suffolk, Christopher Riches, 21, from Northamptonshire, Amy Rugg-Easey, 31, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, and Christopher Lewis-Farley, 52, from Worcestershire, were granted unconditional bail.
The charge sheet claims each defendant, "without lawful authority or excuse, wilfully obstructed the free passage along a highway, namely Tower Bridge... contrary to section 137(1) of the Highways Act 1980".