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| M25 Dartford Crossing closed as protesters climb bridge | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Essex Police said the two people were "currently at height" | Essex Police said the two people were "currently at height" |
| Two people who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, causing its closure, are Just Stop Oil supporters, the protest group said. | Two people who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, causing its closure, are Just Stop Oil supporters, the protest group said. |
| Police closed the bridge, which connects the M25 between Essex and Kent, after reports of climbers at about 03:50 BST. | Police closed the bridge, which connects the M25 between Essex and Kent, after reports of climbers at about 03:50 BST. |
| Just Stop Oil said it was part of a protest against new government oil and gas licences. | Just Stop Oil said it was part of a protest against new government oil and gas licences. |
| A diversion for traffic was put in place via the Dartford tunnel. | A diversion for traffic was put in place via the Dartford tunnel. |
| Essex Police said the incident "may take some time to resolve due to the complexities of safely getting people down from height". | Essex Police said the incident "may take some time to resolve due to the complexities of safely getting people down from height". |
| National Highways East wrote on Twitter that there were "delays of two hours in both directions, with eight miles of congestion anti-clockwise and seven miles of congestion clockwise". | |
| There is a diversion in both directions via the Dartford tunnel | There is a diversion in both directions via the Dartford tunnel |
| The 1.7-mile (2.8km) bridge takes traffic southbound on the A282, which connects the M25 London Orbital Motorway from Essex to Kent. The Dartford Tunnel carries traffic northbound. | |
| Just Stop Oil said the two supporters had ascended the two 84m masts at the northern end of the bridge and called it "an act of resistance against a criminal government". | |
| The group said one of the pair, Morgan Trowland, was a 39-year-old bridge design engineer from London. | The group said one of the pair, Morgan Trowland, was a 39-year-old bridge design engineer from London. |
| Mr Trowland said: "Our government has enacted suicidal laws to accelerate oil production - killing human life and destroying our environment. | Mr Trowland said: "Our government has enacted suicidal laws to accelerate oil production - killing human life and destroying our environment. |
| "I can't challenge this madness in my desk job, designing bridges, so I'm taking direct action." | "I can't challenge this madness in my desk job, designing bridges, so I'm taking direct action." |
| #A282 southbound #QEIIBridge remains closed due to a @EssexPoliceUK led incident. There are delays of 2 hours in both directions. Road users are advised to avoid travelling to the Dartford crossing, please consider alternative routes. @DartCharge. https://t.co/znksmkg7TS pic.twitter.com/6aAeeqkqtH | |
| The Conservative MP for Dartford, Gareth Johnson, said it was "wrong" for the activists to "impose their views" on people trying to get to work and school. | |
| "I totally deplore this action which is yet again causing traffic misery to people in and around Dartford," he said. | |
| "It is yet another example of how utterly selfish these protesters are." | |
| Rob Hollyman, director of Youngs Transport Ltd in Purfleet on the north bank of the river, told BBC Essex: "It's absolutely dreadful. It's costing us hundreds of thousands of pounds. | |
| "I'm sitting in a traffic jam instead of being at work running the business." | |
| Protesters were dragged away by members of the public in Shoreditch, London, on Sunday | Protesters were dragged away by members of the public in Shoreditch, London, on Sunday |
| Just Stop Oil says more than 450 of its supporters have been arrested over the last two weeks | Just Stop Oil says more than 450 of its supporters have been arrested over the last two weeks |
| The group said more than 450 of its supporters have been arrested during the last two weeks of action. | The group said more than 450 of its supporters have been arrested during the last two weeks of action. |
| More than 20 people were arrested on Sunday after some activists glued themselves to the road in Shoreditch High Street in east London. | More than 20 people were arrested on Sunday after some activists glued themselves to the road in Shoreditch High Street in east London. |
| The High Court issued an interim injunction last year to deter environmental activists from staging demonstrations on the M25. | The High Court issued an interim injunction last year to deter environmental activists from staging demonstrations on the M25. |
| Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman has described the actions of demonstrators as "self-defeating" and "completely indefensible". | Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman has described the actions of demonstrators as "self-defeating" and "completely indefensible". |
| Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk | Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk |