Police have arrested 23 protesters after members of Insulate Britain attempted to block the M25 motorway for the fifth time
It comes after a total of 41 people were arrested in connection with the protests on the M25 motorway and A1(M) on Monday.
Surrey Police confirmed a number of Insulate Britain protesters were on the clockwise and anticlockwise carriageways between junction 9 and 10 for Woking of the M25.
The protest was reported at around 8am and officers were called to the scene.
Both carriageways were blocked, but have since been fully reopened by officers who cleared protesters off the road.
Surrey Police said: “Lanes on both clockwise and anticlockwise carriageways of the M25 between junctions 9 and 10 are now fully re-opened after officers cleared all of the Insulate Britain protesters off of the road.
“23 arrests have been made.”
Drivers were advised to avoid the area while officers dealt with the incident.
This comes after Insulate Britain activists blocked the anti-clockwise exit slip road at junction 18, Chorleywood, Herts, on Monday. A separate protest took place near junction four (Stanborough Interchange) of the A1(M), near Hatfield.
Insulate Britain claimed “new people” joined the protest, along with some who have participated in all five of the group’s actions to date.
It also said blue paint was poured on the motorway.
“We have seen no evidence that the cause of Insulating Britain has been a set back, as suggested yesterday by the prime minister,” the group said on its website.
“Due to Insulate Britain’s actions, the plan to insulate the nation’s homes has entered the national debate.
“The recent extreme rise in gas and electricity costs has increased the urgency of Insulate Britain’s demands. Boris, get on with the job!”
Demonstrators are calling on the government to insulate all of “Britain’s 29 million leaky homes by 2030 and all social housing by 2025”.
A spokesperson for the group, Liam Norton, added: “The idea that people would suddenly decide insulating our leaky homes is a bad idea as a result of our campaign is frankly laughable.
“We are simply asking the government to get on the job. The people of Britain understand that climate change is a severe threat to everything they hold dear.”
He added that the public is “looking to the government for leadership”, saying: “We have a practical solution and have received encouragement for our aims from many construction industry professionals.”
Dr Diana Warner, a retired GP from Gloucestershire, added: “Insulating homes is such a necessary action right now, for health, economy and climate. All our homes.
“Only the government can get that done. Boris just needs to get on with it. This is a practical way to start to level up Britain. No words, we need action and results.”
This comes after, on Monday, protestors blocked at least five junctions on the M25, causing miles of queues along the motorway. Footage shared on social media platforms showed angry drivers attempting to drag the protestors from the road.
It comes after a total of 41 people were arrested in connection with the protests on the M25 and A1(M) on Monday.
The climate activists behind the roadblocks “profoundly apologise” for the disruption, they said in an open letter to the home secretary on Monday.
The group has written to Priti Patel, asking for “open dialogue”, but has said it has not yet received a response.
Following the action earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised protesters, saying they “detract from a very important moral mission” widely shared by the nation.
He said the group do not do “any favours to their cause” by repeatedly blocking key roads, and the government is “taking powers to be able to remove protesters when they are threatening critical infrastructure” or “when they are threatening to cause serious economic damage”.
