
Nick Abbot 12am - 1am
16 March 2022, 13:00 | Updated: 16 March 2022, 15:30
Police have charged 56 people over M25 Insulate Britain protests which took place on three days last September.
Twelve people each face two counts of causing a public nuisance at junction 14 of the M25 on September 13, and at junction 25 of the M25 on September 15.
They are due to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Court on Friday April 22.
Fifty people are charged with causing a public nuisance at junction 14 of the M25 on September 27, and will appear at the same court on April 29.
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Some defendants have been charged as part of both cases.
The announcement follows separate charges brought by Kent Police earlier this month against 74 people, which marked the first criminal cases brought against Insulate Britain protesters.
They had previously only faced legal action in the civil courts, with several jailed for breaching injunctions.
Insulate Britain, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, wants the Government to insulate all UK homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions.
It repeatedly blocked major roads between September and November, causing long traffic jams.
Activists often glued their hands to roads or each other to make it harder to remove them.