Three from Northampton and one Overstone woman among arrests by police bidding to halt M25 eco protests

Kevin Nicholls
By Kevin Nicholls
Published 8th Nov 2022, 11:00 BST
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All four due in court in London on Tuesday

Three people from Northampton and one from Overstone were among eight arrested on Sunday (November 6) during a pre-emptive police operation aimed at preventing disruption on the M25.

Metropolitan Police said the three men and a woman — aged between 21 and 63 — are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (November 8) charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Several parts of the M25 around London had to be temporarily closed on Monday after Just Stop Oil protesters scaled gantries over the motorway.

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The demonstrations are taking place just as the latest COP27 international climate change summit in Egypt got under way. More protests on Tuesday forced closures on stretches of the M25, including the Dartford crossing.

A Just Stop Oil protestor posted this selfie from the top of a gantry over the M25 on Monday (November 7)A Just Stop Oil protestor posted this selfie from the top of a gantry over the M25 on Monday (November 7)
A Just Stop Oil protestor posted this selfie from the top of a gantry over the M25 on Monday (November 7)

The four local people arrested are:

Daniel Shaw, aged 36, of Adams Avenue, Northampton

Ian Bates, aged 63, of Clarke Road, Northampton

Alexander Wilcox, aged 21, of Billing Road, Northampton

Karen Matthews, aged 60, of Sywell Road, Overstone

A Met spokesman said: “We expect to publish details of further charges later today.”

Just Stop Oil activists said about 15 of its supporters were on gantries at “multiple locations” on Tuesday (November 8) following four weeks of continuous civil resistance by supporters during which it claims police have made 678 arrests.

It added that since the campaign began on April 1st, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested nearly 2,000 times, with six currently in prison.

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A statement said the action was to "demand that the Government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents".

Molly Berry, 70, a retired lip-reading tutor from Hertfordshire added: “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.”