Protesters climbed onto an M25 gantry to bring rush hour traffic to a standstill for the second day running.
Police swarmed the scene after a Just Stop Oil activist climbed up the gantry at junction 31 at the Dartford River Crossing just after 7am, and they were arrested around an hour-and-a-half later.
The northbound gantry is at Junction 31 and is the first as you travel into Essex from Kent.
The campaign group says 15 of its supporters climbed overhead gantries at multiple locations across the M25 this morning, causing traffic chaos.
Essex Police decided to shut the Dartford tunnel and lanes three and four while they worked to remove the protester at Junction 31.
There were severe delays on the M25 anticlockwise heading into Essex as a result, with National Highways warning drivers they faced delays of 60 minutes and five miles of congestion.
Shortly after 9.30am, Essex Police confirmed a woman was brought down from the gantry and arrested over the M25 incident that shut the tunnel.
The tunnel has now re-opened although delays are still expected, and Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “We have been prepared for more acts of disruption and had officers proactively patrolling the M25 who’s quick actions have helped minimise the impact on the public this morning.
“However, we appreciate people just trying to go about their daily lives have been disrupted again, I completely understand the anger and frustration and want to assure people we are working hard to prevent these criminal acts and to respond was quickly as we can where they take place.
“We have mobilised a significant amount of resources to deal with these incidents. These are resources which should be tackling knife crime, helping investigate sexual and domestic offences, and responding to burglaries.
“However, due to these actions they are not able to because we have had to divert them to these incidents. That is unacceptable.
“We will continue to work to keep people safe, keep Essex moving, and deal with criminal acts where they take place."
Police also said there was a protester who has climbed a gantry at Junction 27 of the M25.
Road closures were put in place at this location, and traffic using the M25 towards Waltham Abbey was diverted onto the M11.
The clockwise carriageway on the M25 remained open.
And in Hertfordshire, officers received reports of a protest at Junction 20 for Kings Langley, but several lanes have now been re-opened.
Reports of protesters were also recorded between Junction 7 and 8 for Reigate in Surrey, with the road shut and causing snarling queues.
One Just Stop Oil supporter named Molly Berry, 70, a retired lip-reading tutor from Hertfordshire, said: “The climate crisis is not left wing or right wing, it’s not an opinion or a point of view or a cause. It’s real, and it’s happening now, and it is getting very close to destroying absolutely everything we love.
"When my friends show me photographs of their grandchildren it breaks my heart to think of what they will face in their lifetimes. That’s why I am willing to put my liberty on the line to demand that the government halts all new oil and gas.”
This is the second successive day of protests, with widespread disruption caused across 13 locations on the M25 throughout yesterday morning.
Last night, it was confirmed 23 people had been arrested after Just Stop Oil protesters climbed gantries on the M25 despite a major Metropolitan Police operation to foil their plans.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist branded the demonstrations as “criminality” with the intention of disrupting thousands of people’s lives.
Speaking yesterday, he said: “This isn’t protest, this is criminality where people are taking extremely hazardous steps disrupting the M25.
“This action is grossly disproportionate to any legitimate aim that this group may have. This is criminality and we’ll treat it as such.”
The Met Police arrested seven people before yesterday's protest on suspicion of “conspiracy to intentionally or recklessly cause public nuisance”, a new offence under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
But the protest went ahead anyway, with forces including Kent, Essex, Surrey and Hertfordshire facing demonstrators in 13 locations.
Surrey Police tweeted that they had reports of protesters at a number of places along the motorway, resulting in temporary lane closures, while Essex Police said arrests were made after reports of people climbing up an overhead gantry close to junction 30 of the M25.
Hertfordshire Police said five people had been arrested after protesters attempted to climb overhead gantries at various junctions.
The motorway, England’s busiest, was cleared by Monday afternoon, Mr Twist said.
As well as the arrests, police believe that some of those involved in the demonstrations could have breached a High Court injunction obtained by the Highways Agency.
Just Stop Oil has vowed to continue its action, saying it will demonstrate “every day” until the group’s demand for no new oil and gas in the UK is met.
In an update on its website, the group said: “This is not a one-day event, expect us every day and anywhere. This is an act of resistance against a criminal government and their genocidal death project.
“Our supporters will be returning – today, tomorrow and the next day – and the next day after that – and every day until our demand is met: no new oil and gas in the UK.”
According to the Met, which is conducting the operation in conjunction with the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC), more than 10,000 officer shifts have been dedicated to policing Just Stop Oil protests since the start of October.
Police are calling on the public to assist with preventing public disruption from protesters by reporting it to 999.
Just Stop Oil staged 32 days of disruption from the end of September and throughout October, which the Met said resulted in 677 arrests with 111 people charged, and officers working a total of 9,438 additional shifts.
The climate change action group has been calling on the Government to abandon plans to licence more than 100 new oil and gas projects by 2025, and to do more to help people with their skyrocketing energy bills.
According to the group, since its campaign began on April 1, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested nearly 2,000 times, and five are currently in prison.
