Insulate Britain renews roadblocks after 10-day break

INSULATE Britain today resumed its campaign of road blockade protests, targeting areas around Southwark Bridge, Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street station.

Activists from the Extinction Rebellion offshoot sat down in roads in central London with banners from 8am, causing misery for rush hour motorists.

They blocked Upper Thames Street next to Southwark Bridge, Bishopsgate in the Liverpool Street area and Limehouse Causeway at the junction with the A1206 in Canary Wharf.

Drivers on Southwark Bridge attempted to drag protesters off the road themselves.

Members of the public heckled protesters blocking the road at the junction of Bishopsgate and Camomile Street.

One man, who shouted as he walked by, said: “We all have jobs to go to.”

Another walked up to the protesters and said: “What are you doing in the middle of the road. I can’t get to work.” A City of London Police spokesman said officers were dealing with the activists but urged drivers to avoid the area. The group, which wants the Government to insulate all UK homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions, had paused its protests for 10 days but warned on Friday that they would restart their road blockades this week.

This morning’s disruption came despite injunctions leaving protesters facing court summons and possible imprisonment or an unlimited fine.

Insulate Britain blocked roads on 14 days over the five weeks to October 14. Hundreds of arrests were made, with some people detained several times. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Insulate Britain’s actions are dangerous and disruptive. National Highways is now taking the first group of activists from Insulate Britain to court, for breaching injunctions by blocking the M25. Those activists will now receive a court summons.”