Climate activists want speed cuts as they block M25

PROTESTERS have asked for the motorway speed limit to be cut to accommodate their demonstrations ahead of more action planned on the M25 today.

Members of Insulate Britain brought chaos to the motorway circling London last week, blocking it on three separate occasions.

They have vowed to return to the M25 from 7am today, amid fears that the campaign will last for weeks or even months.

The group said they had written to National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency, to request that traffic was slowed down on the parts of the M25 where they are protesting.

Frustrated that a similar request was ignored last week, they wrote: “Insulate Britain are asking the Highways Agency to review their previous decision not to reduce speed limits, even though they had been made aware that major disruption will be taking place.

“Given that this is a standard safety procedure when hazards occur on the motorway, Insulate Britain is surprised it has not formed part of the response to the campaign.”

They added: “People’s safety during this campaign has always been our primary objective.”

Nicola Bell, National Highways regional director, said: “Our primary concern is always safety, but changing speed limits in advance of any incident creates a far greater risk to the wider travelling public.”

Police chiefs came under fire last week after videos emerged appearing to show officers facilitating the protests rather than arresting the activists.

Forces are understood to be reluctant to prosecute the activists for minor offences such as blocking the highway, as the sentences available are unlikely to act as a deterrent. Instead, police chiefs have explored whether they can bring more serious charges against the demonstrators, including conspiracy to cause public nuisance.

Roger Hallam, the mastermind of the Insulate Britain group, is alleged to be hoping scores of activists are jailed in the run-up to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November, in order to humiliate Boris Johnson.

The co-founder of Extinction Rebellion is said to have told supporters earlier this year: “The whole world is going to be looking at Johnson and saying ‘You’re Mr Green and you’ve got 200 people in prison because they want you to insulate some houses?’ It isn’t going to look good.”

Insulate Britain is demanding that the Government “immediately promise to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025”.

National Highways’ Bell added: “Our road network is integral for our customers’ journeys.

“It’s the backbone of the country’s economy; connecting people, building communities and helping people go about their daily lives.”