Dozens of Insulate Britain supporters charged over M25 protest

Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain
Police officers detain protesters from Insulate Britain neat the M25 last year

A total of 56 people have been charged over Insulate Britain protests on the M25 on three days in September.

Police said 12 people are each accused of two counts of causing a public nuisance at junction 14 of the M25 on September 13 last year, and at junction 25 of the M25 on September 15.

They are due to appear at Stratford Magistrates’ Court next month.

And 50 people are charged with causing a public nuisance at junction 14 of the M25 on September 27, and will appear at the same court.

Some defendants have been charged as part of both cases.

The announcement follows separate charges brought by Kent Police earlier this month against 74 people, which marked the first criminal cases brought against Insulate Britain protesters.

They had previously only faced legal action in the civil courts, with several jailed for breaching injunctions.

Insulate Britain, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, wants the Government to insulate all UK homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions.

Who are Insulate Britain, the group blocking the M25, and what do they want?

It repeatedly blocked major roads between September and November, causing long traffic jams.

Activists often glued their hands to roads or each other to make it harder to remove them.