Insulate Britain: M25 protests costs Surrey Police £110k

Insulate Britain stopped traffic on both carriageways of the M25 between junctions 9 and 10, near Cobham, in September

Dealing with Insulate Britain protests on the M25 in Surrey cost the county's police force about £110,000.

Activists began a wave of protests two months ago, blocking the M25, roads in London and elsewhere in the UK.

A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found Surrey Police staff worked about 4,221 overtime hours handling protests.

An Insulate Britain spokesperson said it recognised its actions had been disruptive.

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The group want the government to tackle the climate crisis faster by insulating homes and cutting emissions.

Nine of its activists were jailed last week for breaching High Court injunctions.

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said the protests were "largely managed through overtime to avoid depleting the normal police response teams".

On 21 September police officers carried protesters from the road after they "ignored" requests to move

The force added it could not produce "full costs for investigating and producing case files for those arrested and prosecuted".

Across four days of protests on Surrey's motorways, 130 people were arrested on suspicion of offences including obstructing a highway, criminal damage and conspiracy to cause danger to road users.

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: "We are continuing to collate all the evidence, including witness statements and CCTV footage, as part of our ongoing investigation."

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