NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Deliveries to and from a major oil depot have been disrupted after green activists blocked an artery road linking the site to the M25.

Protesters from Just Stop Oil, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, formed a human chain along the main route used by tankers driving between the ring road and the Navigator oil terminal in Grays, Essex, at around 6am on Tuesday morning.

Footage showed protesters climbing over a tall iron fence along the nearby InterTerminals facility while security staff with a guard dog tried to intercept them.

At least three managed to skirt around them and climb onto a roof inside the site, a five-minute drive along the Thames from the Navigator terminal.

The group also claimed to have dug tunnels underneath roads outside each facility, with around 30 activists taking part in the stunt in Grays.

A spokesperson said a further 20 protesters have occupied two tunnels near a third terminal in Kingsbury, Warwickshire, and were attempting to block two main access roads feeding it.

Just Stop Oil is calling for ministers to end all new oil and gas projects in the UK, claiming the country could reach net-zero emissions within eight years.

Catherine Rennie-Nash, 72, a retired teacher from Kendal taking part in the Essex protest, said: ‘have no choice but to be in civil resistance. We need to understand that the government isn’t protecting us.

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‘The cost of living crisis is a choice, sky-high fuel bills is a choice, new oil and gas is a choice.’

At least 10 people have been arrested outside the facilities in Essex, and another eight were arrested at a nearby train station.

Inspector Stuart Austin said: ‘We are working to resolve these situations as quickly and safely for all those involved.

‘We are focussed on keeping the county moving and keeping you safe.

‘Road disruption is currently minimal and I’d like to thank local drivers, workers, and business for their patience.

‘I want to be clear: policing is not anti-protest but we must intervene where there is a risk to life or where laws are being broken.’

Warwickshire Police closed a section of road near Kingsbury on Monday afternoon after reports that it had become unsafe due to digging by the protesters.

The area was covered by a High Court injunction against protests at the site after the group staged a similar stunt there in April.

The force has not provided updates on Tuesday morning’s disruption.

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