25 protestors arrested at Just Stop Oil protest in central London

Demonstrators have glued themselves to the road at the top of Whitehall near Trafalgar Square

The Metropolitan Police say they have arrested 25 people at a Just Stop Oil protest in central London.

Demonstrators have glued themselves to the road at the top of Whitehall near Trafalgar Square. The Met said 25 people had been arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway.

A statement said: “We are aware of current protest action in central London. Protesters are blocking traffic, having glued and locked themselves to the road, at the top of Whitehall near Trafalgar Square.

“Officers are responding on scene to get protesters removed, we will keep you updated.”

A tweet from the group stated: “At approximately 12pm today, 32 supporters of Just Stop Oil peacefully blocked multiple roads surrounding Trafalgar Square demanding an immediate end to all new oil and gas licensing.”

The protestors appear to have glued their hands to the road surface (Just Stop Oil)

Yesterday police arrested 54 people after Just Stop Oil protesters blocked roads in Westminster.

The Metropolitan Police said 54 protesters were arrested on suspicion of wilful obstruction of the highway on Tuesday during a fourth day of demonstrations.

Just Stop Oil said 60 supporters of its group “disrupted traffic in Westminster today … in a row to demand an end to new oil and gas”.

The demonstrations, now in their fifth day, were held in response to plans by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), the body that represents the UK’s offshore energy sector, which is hoping to launch a further round of oil and gas licensing in October.

UK Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has given the move the green light, stating that “in light of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority”.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as information comes in