Just Stop Oil protesters block Essex oil terminals at Grays and Thurrock
Twenty arrests have been made after environmental protesters staged demonstrations at a major oil facility in Essex, digging tunnels under roads to block access.
The campaigners from Just Stop Oil formed a sit-down roadblock near the Navigator terminal in Thurrock early on Tuesday morning.
Five people are also occupying tunnels under St Clements Way near the terminal, as well as an access road leading to the nearby Grays oil terminal.
Twenty people have been arrested at the three sites on Tuesday morning, said Essex Police, while similar protests were also staged at the Kingsbury facility in Warwickshire.
Campaigners were protesting the government's plans to allow more oil and gas projects in the UK.
Reports began coming in at 6am of disruption at St Clements Way, Chafford Hundred railway station, and an industrial site at Askew Farm Lane.
At that final site, there were reports of people at height, with police saying that they would need specialist equipment to bring them down safely.
Two arrests were made there, with 10 arrests at the site in St Clements Way and eight at Chafford Hundred Railway Station.
Insp Stuart Austin said police were "working to resolve these situations as quickly and safely".
He added: "We have plans in place to deal with incidents like these and have acted swiftly to deal with them and make 18 arrests so far.
“We are focused on keeping the county moving and keeping [people] safe.
“Road disruption is currently minimal and I’d like to thank local drivers, workers, and business for their patience.
“I want to be clear: policing is not anti-protest but we must intervene where there is a risk to life or where laws are being broken.”
Catherine Rennie-Nash, 72, a retired teacher from Kendal, who was involved in the Essex protests, said: "I am beyond angry about the government’s plans to allow more oil and gas projects in the UK. I have no choice but to be in civil resistance. We need to understand that the government isn’t protecting us.
"The cost of living crisis is a choice, sky-high fuel bills is a choice, new oil and gas is a choice," she said.
Sam Holland, 20 , a student from Leeds who is also taking action in Essex, added: “Consenting to more fossil fuels is consenting to the collapse of our food systems. It is consenting to the collapse of our societies, and to the deaths of hundreds of millions of people."
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