Just Stop Oil protesters arrested after gluing hands to road on twelfth day of action

More than 300 people have been arrested since the protests started, Essex Police has said

Protesters on top of tankers in Essex (JSO)

Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested on their twelfth day of action as they glued their hands to roads and climbed on top of oil tankers in Essex.

The group launched a demonstration on an oil refinery in Purfleet, Essex not far from an Esso petrol station in protest against the government’s stance on oil and gas use.

Protesters had to be unglued from the floor using a special solution before police could arrest them for the demonstration this morning.

It comes as Extinction Rebellion stages protests in London today promising “mass action” across the capital.

Images shared by Just Stop Oil show protesters on top of tankers in Purfleet with the message: “ We are in civil resistance. This morning we occupied a tanker on the roads near Purfleet terminal to stop the flow of oil”.

Protests have been going on for nearly two weeks (JSO)

Speaking to Sky News reporters at the scene in Purfleet, one protestor said: “I'm here today to send a clear message to the government that they must stop funding new oil and gas projects.

“We have eight years of oil in this country, we don't need anymore. We have three to four years to do something about our emissions, to do something drastic before it is too late.”

Asked how she felt about working Britons being impacted by the protests, she said: “We are really sorry people are caught up in this. We don't want to be here.

“However we are in a climate emergency and we have to act, we have to start moving away from oil, or they won't have a future to work in.”

More than 300 people have now been arrested in connection to protests at fuel sites in the area, Essex Police has said.

Essex Police said 373 people have been arrested in the last 12 days of protests (JSO)

In an official statement, Just Stop Oil said on Tuesday morning: “Ministers have a choice: they can arrest and imprison Just Stop Oil supporters or agree to no new oil and gas. While Just Stop Oil supporters have their liberty the disruption will continue.”

Around 40 eco-activists were arrested at Inter Terminals in Grays, Essex, on Monday. Members of the group had spent more than 38 hours locked on to pipework above the loading bay.

Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: “We of course remain vigilant, and we are using a variety of policing tactics as we continue to tackle these incidents of irresponsible and dangerous trespass.

Police officers look at activists from Just Stop Oil taking part in a blockade at the Kingsbury Oil Terminal, Warwickshire (PA) (PA Wire)

“The people who are continuing to renew what they believe to be protest are in fact simply putting their own lives at risk, as well as those of my officers their emergency service colleagues.

“The reality is each time they are taking part in these acts, it is not protest; it is reckless and it is dangerous and we cannot simply standby by as people continue to put themselves and others in harm’s way.”