Just Stop Oil activist from Portsmouth charged with causing public nuisance after officer injured on M25 and activist on gantry

Paul Bleach, 55, of Locarno Road, will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance. Just Stop Oil protestors caused carnage on the motorway amid a spate of demonstrations.

Bleach was detained by Essex police at junction 27. Charlotte Kirin, 53, of Peckham Street, Bury St Edmunds, was charged with the same offence after being detained at junction 31.

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A police motorcycle rider was injured as officers scrambled to deal with the activists. Just Stop Oil said around 10 of its supporters climbed on to overhead gantries in ‘multiple locations’ on the UK’s busiest motorway from 6.30am. It was the third consecutive day of demonstrations.

Essex police said there was a collision involving a motorbike rider and two lorries during a rolling roadblock introduced due to an activist being present between junctions 26 and 27. Chief superintendent Simon Anslow, of Essex police, said his officers ‘responded quickly’, and one was injured ‘as they worked to help resolve this situation’.

He said: ‘Our roads policing officers are dedicated, specialist officers who come to work to serve the public and keep you safe on our roads.’

Home secretary and Fareham MP Suella Braverman gave her regards to the injured officer. She said: ‘My thoughts and best wishes go to the Essex Police officer injured while dealing with protesters engaging in guerrilla tactics on the M25 today.

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‘These protests are dangerous, and I fully back police in using all tools available to prevent further disruption and protect the public.’ Just Stop Oil said the collision was an ‘awful situation’, the level of disruption on the M25 ‘should not be happening’, and ‘people are rightly angry and frustrated’.

It added: ‘The failure of our politics has left us with no other option as we seek to protect our rights and freedoms from a collapse in law and order due to a heating world. The Government can end this, immediately, by ending dirty new oil and gas.’

The Metropolitan Police said one person locked themselves on to an overhead gantry near Junctions 24 and 25. They added 677 arrests were made – 111 people charged – from 32 days of demonstrations.