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Insulate Britain's M25 protests to ‘go on’ despite jail threat

PROTESTERS indicated today that they were prepared to break an injunction banning attempts to block the M25 — a move that could put them behind bars. 

The government successfully applied on Tuesday evening for a High Court injunction prohibiting anyone blocking the M25 in a bid to halt Insulate Britain’s protest campaign. 

The group, which is demanding ministers insulate homes, has blocked the busy carriageway five times in just over a week. 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who asked National Highways to seek an injunction, said the demos were “reckless and [risked] lives.” 

The injunction, which was due to come into force today, means that anyone who attempts to block the M25 could face a prison sentence. 

But this appears to have failed to deter the environmental activists who said in a statement on Wednesday that the campaign will “go on.” 

“Currently 8,500 people a year die unnecessarily in the UK because of their frozen homes and climate collapse presents an incalculable threat to our way of life,” it said.

“As soon as the government makes a meaningful statement that we can trust, we will leave the motorway.” 

The group is calling for ministers to commit to insulating all of “Britain’s 29 million leaky homes by 2030 and all social housing by 2025.”

Their last action on Tuesday morning targeted junctions 9 and 10 of Britain’s busiest motorway. Surrey Police made 38 arrests.  

Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mr Shapps wrote in the Daily Mail on Tuesday that they were planning to give police more powers to crack down on “such guerilla tactics” in their widely condemned Policing Bill. 

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