Oil activists in Chiswick ambush tanker and sit on roof bringing traffic grinding to halt

A protester told ITV News London he was worried about "the death of our future and our loved ones".

Oil protesters ambushed a tanker, sat on the roof, and brought part of West London grinding to a halt on Thursday morning.

Four climate activists climbed on top of the Eddie Stobart tanker surrounded by police at the Chiswick roundabout in West London. Some glued themselves to the roof.

Police closed part of the road but, at first, made no attempt to move the tanker or remove the protesters.

"We saw a tanker that's transporting around the death of our future and our loved ones," protester Cameron Ford told ITV News London.

"It came to the traffic lights and two people stepped out in front of the tanker with a banner and told the driver his tanker had been stopped and two people climbed up on the back while that happened," he added.

The protest caused long rush hour queues on the busy North Circular after the tanker was ambushed at a red traffic light.

Eventually a crane was brought in by police to lift the protesters from the tanker and an operation to remove and arrest them got underway.

The demonstration led to rush hour congestion as police blocked approach roads including the M4 and North Circular.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said the activists unfurled a banner in front of the tanker at 8.45am before climbing on to it.

One by one the activists were given a safety harness, helmet and protective goggles as police before being lifted onto a hydraulic platform and lowered to the ground.

Earlier this week a fuel price pressure group said petrol and diesel shortages were “an issue” and some filling stations were “drying up”.

Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, said a third of its supporters who responded to a survey last weekend said they have encountered a "problem" finding fuel.

The shortages have been attributed to disruption by Just Stop Oil protesters at oil depots.

Mr Cox said: "It’s very patchy, it’s sporadic but it’s still an issue, particularly in the South.

"Most of the protests are happening below the Midlands and in the Home Counties, and that’s where we’re seeing some of the problems.

"Above the Midlands in the North, in Scotland and Northern Ireland there’s no problems whatsoever.

"Their garages are full of fuel."