Just Stop Oil: High Court grants injunction to ban M25 protests

A High Court injunction has been granted to prevent Just Stop Oil protesters disrupting the M25.

This means that anyone entering the motorway and fixing themselves to any object or structure on it, and anyone assisting in such an act, can be held in contempt of court.

Those in breach could face imprisonment, an unlimited fine and seizure of assets.

This follows 32 days of Just Stop Oil protests in which activists have thrown soup at paintings, sprayed orange paint on luxury car showrooms in Mayfair and blocked several roads across London.

The injunction was secured in addition to a court order obtained by National Highways earlier this year that targeted protesters including those from Insulate Britain.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he instructed National Highways to apply for the latest injunction to tackle a “reckless minority of protesters”.

He said: “Protesting by blocking busy motorways or climbing overhead structures is extremely dangerous and disruptive, which is why I instructed National Highways to apply for this further injunction, which the courts have granted.

Duncan Smith, executive director for operations at National Highways, said: "Millions of people rely on the strategic road network every day and they have a right to expect it to operate as it should.

"We already have an injunction covering hundreds of miles of our network.

"This further court order will make it easier to take action against those reckless individuals who choose to unlawfully protest on the M25.

"Protesting on these busy roads is extremely dangerous for the protesters themselves and all road users."

National Highways’ existing injunction covers the M25, the M25 feeder roads and major roads in Kent and around the Port of Dover until May 2023.