Climate activists vandalised gas stations and blocked front yards at two highway service stations.
Just Stop Oil supporters smashed display glass at pumps at Cobham Services in Surrey and Clacket Lane Services in Kent and covered it with spray paint at 7am on Thursday.
Then, they glued themselves to the pump, sign and the top of the truck. The group is also preventing motorists from entering the front yard. Just Stop Oil had said 35 people were involved in the operation.
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One of the campaigners, Nathan McGovern, a 22-year-old student from Coventry, said: “I refuse to stand by and watch as heatwaves and droughts kill people in the global south and families in the UK are forced to make decisions between meals and meals. Select. Heat.
“If politicians and bureaucrats refuse to act, then ordinary people should do what they won’t.”
Just Stop Oil started its protests on April 1 and described the damage to the petrol pump as a “major escalation”.
The move is reminiscent of the Insulation UK protests from September to November last year, when the M25 junction was repeatedly blocked.
It has imposed a series of blockades of fuel terminals in the south-east and midlands of England and targeted several high-profile football matches. More than 1,000 arrests have been made.
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The group said it would “continue to be disrupted until the government makes a statement that it will end new oil and gas projects in the UK”.
Surrey police said 35 people were detained after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage and aggravated trespass.
In an update Thursday afternoon, police said both front yards had been cleaned and reopened after protesters were evacuated using specialized equipment.
Police said the pumps in both forecourts were “severely damaged”, with a total of 35 pumps damaged at Cobham Services and another 20 at Clacket Lane. The HGV pumps at both sites were unaffected.
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Superintendent Graham Barnett said about 40 police officers were involved in the protest, which required the use of professional stripping equipment to safely clear protesters in a “long and complex process”, which meant The incident will take “some time to resolve”.
“We understand that this[protest]has caused considerable disruption to motorists trying to use these services and to the gas stations themselves, and they will suffer huge financial losses as a result,” he said.
Escher and Walton MP, Attorney General Dominic Raab tweeted: “Thank you police for responding to this heinous act in Cobham. We will not Allow militants to disrupt people’s lives.”
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Neil Lancefield is the PA Transportation Correspondent.
