Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Johnson handed down sentences at a High Court hearing in London on Wednesday after National Highways took legal action against protesters.

They handed prison sentences of two months and 30 days to two protesters, while the seven others received two-month suspended jail terms. Among those was Richard Ramsden, 75, from Halifax.

National Highways claimed the protesters had breached an injunction and were in contempt of court.

Handout photo issued by Insulate Britain of protesters from Insulate Britain blocking the M25 at junction 31, near to the Dartford Crossing in Thurrock, Essex

Lord Justice Dingemans said each protester had accepted they had breached a court order and were in contempt.

The two judges heard Insulate Britain had organised protests which disrupted and obstructed the M25 on several days in September.

A judge had subsequently made an order barring protesters from staging protests on the M25. Further protests had taken place in October, Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Johnson heard.

Protesters had made impassioned speeches seeking to justify forming human roadblocks. The protesters said they were compelled to act to highlight Britain’s so-called “leaky homes”.

One defendant, the Rev Sue Parfitt, 79, from Bristol, had said: “Wasn’t it worth me sitting on the motorways to flag (our) message, and to interrupt people’s lives for an hour or so, in order to protect our children?”

She was given a two-month suspended prison term.

Lord Justice Dingemans said there had been “very substantial” disruption.

“The effect on those marooned in the traffic is not difficult to contemplate,” he said. “There is a risk that emergency services will not be able to respond. This is so even though the defendants operated what they called a ‘blue light’ policy, which was to move from one lane if they saw a blue light approaching.

“This does not deal with the emergency workers stuck in traffic on their way to work, or the emergency vehicles stuck at the back of the queue.”

Lord Justice Dingemans went on: “Workers will be late for work. Drivers and passengers will be late for appointments or meetings.

“The time of every normal driver and passenger stuck on the roads was treated by the defendants as not counting enough to outweigh the protesters’ own view of how people should be alerted to their view.

“This might be considered to be the antithesis of the individual rights which are still to be provided to the nine defendants by this court. This is because it has never been the law that one wrongful action justifies another.”

Dr Diana Warner, 62, from Bristol, was given a two-month prison term.

Dr Ben Buse, 36, from Bristol, was given a 30-day term.

The six others, who were given two-month suspended terms, were: Biff Whipster, 54, from Canterbury, Kent; Paul Sheeky, 46, from Warrington, Cheshire; Ruth Jarman, 58, from Hook, Hampshire; Steve Gower, 54, from Gloucester; Steven Pritchard, 62, from Radstock, Somerset; and Sue Parfitt, 79, from Bristol.

Insulate Britain protests: 75-year-old Yorkshire man among nine people to be sentenced over M25 protests