Enquiries continue following M25 protests

We are continuing to progress our enquiries following protests held at two junctions of the M25 yesterday morning (15 September).

We received reports of protesters in the carriageways at junction 8 and 10 on the M25, at around 8am.

Officers arrived on the scene by 8.20am and all protesters were cleared from the carriageways at both junctions by 9.45am. A number of protesters had glued themselves to the carriageway but were also removed.

A total of 33 people were arrested on suspicion of various offences, including public nuisance, obstructing the highway and conspiracy to cause danger to road users. Of the 33 arrests, 12 were released under investigation. 21 were released on conditional bail. We have a significant number of officers working on further enquiries to progress the investigation, and this remains ongoing.

Protests also took place at other junctions of the motorway.

Chief Superintendent Jerry Westerman said: “Following reports of a number of protesters on Junctions 8 and 10 of the M25 yesterday morning, we took swift and robust action to ensure that they were removed after they ignored police requests to move on in a peaceful manner.

“I would like to reassure the public that all the forces involved are working closely to ensure that any further activity is dealt with effectively and efficiently, with disruption to people and businesses kept to a minimum. When protests start to endanger the public and put the safety of others at risk, we have to act swiftly and effectively.

“We are working closely with our partner agencies, including our colleagues in other forces, as well as other agencies, including Highways England, and thank them for their continued support.

“I appreciate that these protests have caused considerable inconvenience and frustration for those caught up in the traffic delays and I can assure you that we are continuing to gather evidence and ensure that those who break the law are brought to justice. I would like to thank all those motorists who got caught up in the delays, both yesterday and on Monday, while we dealt with the incident, for their co-operation and patience.”

“We are continuing to appeal to anyone who witnessed either incident or anyone with any dashcam footage to come forward as you may be able to help us progress our investigation.”

If you have any information which could help, please contact us via webchat on our website surrey.police.uk or by calling 101.