M25 protesters block Roadchef Clacket Lane Eastbound, Cobham Surrey petrol stations and smash pumps
Protesters hoped today's action would encourage more people to get involved and force to government to act faster over climate change
Police say eight arrests have been made after oil protesters blocked two petrol stations on the M25.
Climate activists sabotaged petrol pumps and blocked two M25 petrol stations, before gluing themselves to the forecourts in protest at rush hour today.
Supported of Just Stop Oil smashed display glass and covered them in spray paint at the motorway service stations on Thursday morning (28 April).
The group stopped motorists from entering forecourts at Cobham Services in Surrey and the Roadchef Clacket Lane M25 Eastbound service station in Kent at around 7am.
Protesters then glued themselves to pumps, as police responded to the rush hour motorway disruption.
Surrey Police said eight people had been arrested, as officers worked to remove protesters from the Cobham site.
The force said one activist had glued themselves to the top of a lorry.
The force said further arrests are likely to be made throughout the day.Thirty-five people were involved in the action, according to Just Stop Oil.
Nathan McGovern, 22, a student from Coventry, who is one of the activists involved, said: “I refuse to stand by and watch as heatwaves and drought murder people across the global south and families in the UK are forced to choose between eating and heating.
“If politicians and bureaucrats refuse to act then it falls on ordinary people to do what they will not.”
Surrey Police said: "Officers were called around 7.02am following reports that a group of protesters had turned up at Clacket Lane and were gluing themselves to pumps and signs on the petrol station forecourts. They were also blocking access to the pumps.
"A further call was received around 7.06am that protesters were on site at Cobham Services petrol station and were damaging the pumps. One of the protesters had also glued himself to the top of lorry.
"The pumps have all been switched off and motorists are being diverted away from both service stations.
"We appreciate the considerable disruption this is causing and we are working as quickly as we can to remove the protesters from the site and allow both petrol stations to re-open.
"Please bear with us while we continue to deal with these ongoing incidents."
The group has led a wave of fuel terminal blockade protests across the UK, calling for an end to the use of the fossil fuel, to protect the climate.
Just Stop Oil is demanding that the Government ends new oil and gas projects in the UK.
The group's protesters dug tunnels and sat atop oil tankers during days of protests this month, which took place in locations including Essex and Warwickshire.
Its supporters have also disrupted high-profile football matches.
More than 1,000 arrests have been made since the protests began on April 1.
Just Stop Oil said it will “continue the disruption until the Government makes a statement that it will end new oil and gas projects in the UK”.
Ten supporters arrested outside Kingsbury oil terminal on Wednesday are due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
They are charged with contempt of court relating to an injunction granted to North Warwickshire Borough Council which prohibited protests at the site.
The targeting of petrol stations on the M25 comes after Insulate Britain’s separate protests between September and November last year, when junctions of the UK’s busiest motorway were repeatedly blocked.