Protesters charged over action that closed M25 Dartford Crossing for two days

Two men have been charged in connection with disruption on the Dartford Crossing.

Morgan Trowland, 39, of Islington, north London, and Marcus Decker, 33, of no fixed address, have been charged with committing a public nuisance, Essex Police said.

They will appear in custody at Southend Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “Our priorities have always been to keep people safe and work with our partners to keep Essex moving.

“We have done this consistently during incidents of disruption across the county this year and again this week.

“As we have consistently said, we are not anti-protest but we must take action when we believe laws have been broken and the safety of the public is put at risk.”

Police had brought in a "raised platform" to allow specialists to work at height on the QEII bridge to bring the protesters to safety.

The bridge had been shut for two days after the two campaigners scaled the structure early on Monday morning.

Officers had previously said once the two people were reached, that they would be arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance.

Motorists had been urged to avoid the area, after traffic built up with miles of congestion reported, siginificantly delaying journeys.