UK Home Secretary Priti Patel vows crackdown after environmental protesters closed the M25 motorway five times in a week

The Home Secretary pledged to crack down on “guerrilla” activism after an environmental group shut down M25 five times in just over a week.

Riting for the Daily Mail alongside Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Priti Patel said the Home Office was working with National Highways to take legal action against the Insulate Britain group in an attempt to “ensure that ‘ they cannot continue to disrupt and endanger people’s lives. “

Their comments come after Surrey police on Tuesday arrested 38 activists from the group who targeted Junctions 9 and 10 of Britain’s busiest highway at 7:57 a.m.

Images taken at the scene by LBC showed protesters walking on the freeway and sitting on the ground in front of moving traffic.

Some then held up banners reading “Insulate Britain” and sprayed blue paint on the road, before being taken away by officers.

The newspaper says an injunction against Insulate Britain will likely be sought by National Highways in the High Court on Thursday.

In their column, the duo condemned the protesters’ tactics, adding that the police had their support in taking “decisive action” against any future disruptive protests.

They wrote: “(The protesters) broke the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public and created additional pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen.

“We are empowering (the police) to better handle such guerrilla tactics in the future.

“In the medium term, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will place public nuisance on a legal basis, ensuring that appropriate penalties are provided for the harm caused. “

Insulate Britain confirmed he was leading the protest on Tuesday, adding that new people joined his campaign to improve house insulation in addition to others who took part in similar protests in Hertfordshire, Kent, Essex and Surrey over the past two weeks.

He added that the recent increase in gas and electricity costs had “increased the urgency” of the change and that he would end his campaign as soon as he heard a “meaningful commitment” to his demands.