Yorkshire doctor protesting on M25 said disruption 'weighs very heavily on me'

Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London

More than 50 members of the group Insulate Britain descended on junction 14 of the busy motorway, near Heathrow Airport, at around 8am on Monday morning for their sixth road block in just over two weeks.

The activists, who are calling on the Government to insulate homes across the UK to help cut carbon emissions, can face up to two years in prison and a large fine for blocking the route after they defied a High Court injunction which was granted last week.

Dr Bing Jones, from Sheffield, said he has been arrested five times for taking part in the protests on the M25 this month but remains committed to the campaign because he is “exasperated” about the climate crisis and a lack of Government action.

He said: “The climate crisis is moving faster and is worse than almost anybody predicted, and we're faced with a Government which is not doing anything on the kind of scale and pace that's required.

“Insulate Britain is a particular movement, which was set up really to bring the enormous problems of the climate crisis down to a specific, doable job. Insulating houses in Britain is by far the best value for money in reducing carbon emissions in the UK. Housing is responsible for at least 15 per cent of UK emissions.”

“The disruption weighs very heavily on me. There will be people who are having a really bad time in the queues that we're forming. But the facts are very, very clear and this is one way for us to get the message over.

“The Government is not looking after us as it should and I'm almost as terrified by the Government's empty promises, as I am by the climate crisis.”

A Met Police spokesperson said 53 arrests were made this morning and all lanes of the M25 were re-opened at around 11.10am.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse said the protesters have “endangered the lives” of road users and police officers.

Speaking in Parliament last week, he said: “The right to protest is not unqualified and does not include a right to endanger others, to intimidate people or to break the law. The events of recent days have crossed this line. As anyone should know, sitting in the road is extremely dangerous, both to themselves and to others.”

He added: “The Government are investing significant amounts of money—more than £1bn this year alone—on encouraging people to take green measures in their own homes, to help us with the fight against climate change.”