Fuel protester arrested over M4 blockade ‘held in police cell with blood up the wall for hours’

Protesters says she was forced to pay £150 charges to get her impounded car back

A fuel protester arrested for taking part in a ‘go slow’ demonstration on the M4 claims police held her in a cell with blood, urine and vomit “all over it”.

Vicky Stamper, from Cwmbran, South Wales, was among 12 drivers arrested shortly before 11am near the M4 Severn Bridge in Fuel Price Stand Against Tax (FPSAT) demonstrations on Monday.

Two convoys had been holding up traffic since around 7am with slow-moving roadblocks on both sides of the bridge.

All demonstrators were arrested for breaching a legal notice issued by police prior to the protest warning them not to take part.

The protesters, who brought parts of the motorway to a standstill, are calling for the government to cut duty on fuel as prices at the pumps continue to soar.

Ms Stamper said police impounded her Vauxhall Corsa and took her to Newport Police station where she was held in custody for 11 hours - five of which were spent in “absolutely disgusting” conditions.

“They refused to give me a phone call to Darren [her partner],” she told Wales Online. “The cell was absolutely disgusting.

“There was blood and vomit on the toilet so I had to hover. One of the custody officers came in at about 6pm and said, ‘You’re being interviewed in five or 10 minutes.’ But then I was kept in the cell for another couple of hours.”

Ms Stamper added: “I was absolutely starving. They brought me a chicken korma and I said, ‘I can’t eat that, I’m allergic to curry.’ Garlic, chilli, the lot. Then they brought me a ham salad sandwich and I couldn’t have that because I’m allergic to tomatoes. If they’d let me ring Darren he would have been able to come by and drop food off.”

Ms Stamper said she was eventually released from custody at 10.18pm  and that she was forced to pay a £150 charge to get her car back.

Gwent Police said that all its cells are “thoroughly cleaned before being allocated to new detainees”.

Chief Superintendent Tom Harding added: “While in custody, we attempt to cater for all dietary requirements and where that is not possible, we offer to purchase the appropriate food outside of custody.

“On more than one occasion, Ms Stamper was offered food that was available in custody and officers offered to purchase food of her choice from outside of custody. We would invite Ms Stamper to get in touch directly and would be happy to review any complaints.”

A separate protest was held on the M180 between Doncaster in South Yorkshire and Grimsby in Lincolnshire during the morning rush hour.

They are being organised under the FPSAT banner. Businessman and haulier Tariq Akram, who organised Monday’s demonstrations, claimed that the protests have public support.

He said the group, which has a large following on Facebook, will target London on the morning of Friday 22 July. They are set to meet in Parliament Square at midday.

“We will be hit by people who hate us, but the response we have had is more positive. People are saying thank you for doing it, and standing up for us,” he told The Daily Mail.

There are fears the protests could evolve into a movement similar to the gilets jaunes demonstrations in France and cause widespread disruption over the summer.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, has urged police to use new powers brought in under the crime bill to come down hard on those who take part in the protests.

Rishi Sunak, who resigned as chancellor last night, previously cut fuel duty by 5p and said he was open to further reductions.