Northampton activists among 56 charged over Insulate Britain M25 motorway blockades

Five aged between 37 and 69 all due in court this month over public nuisance offences
Kevin Nicholls
By Kevin Nicholls
Published 14th Apr 2022, 08:51 BST
Updated 14th Apr 2022, 08:57 BST
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Five Northampton activists are among 56 charged over Insulate Britain demonstrations which blocked the M25.

Metropolitan Police officers arrested protesters for causing a public nuisance after they blocked the motorway.

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Five people from Northampton are among 13 facing two charges relating to incidents at Junction 14 in Surrey on September 13 and at Junction 25 in Hertfordshire on September 15. They are:

■ Daniel Shaw, aged 37, of Adams Avenue, Northampton■ Maria Lee, aged 69, of Birchfield Road, Northampton■ Karen Matthews, aged 61, of Sywell Road, Northampton■ Nicholas Cooper, aged 40, of Balmoral Road, Northampton■ Ian Bates, aged 63, of Clarke Road, Northampton

All five are due to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Court on April 22.

Bates, Shaw and Matthews are also charged with causing a public nuisance at Junction 14 of the M25 on September 27. They are due to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Court to face this charge on April 29.

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Insulate Britain is calling on the government to insulate all homes across the UK by 2030 to help cut carbon emissions.

Police arrest Insulate Britain protestors blocking the M25 in September — five activists from Northampton are due in court later this monthPolice arrest Insulate Britain protestors blocking the M25 in September — five activists from Northampton are due in court later this month
Police arrest Insulate Britain protestors blocking the M25 in September — five activists from Northampton are due in court later this month

The arrests came as activists from Insulate Britain — an offshoot from Extinction Rebellion — blocked the M25 for the sixth time in two weeks despite injunctions ordering them to stay off the motorway.

In an open letter to home secretary Priti Patel, Insulate Britain said fear of arrests did not deter them from carrying out their campaign, adding: "We are more fearful of the loss of our country than we are of you.

“You can throw as many injunctions at us as you like, but we are going nowhere.

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“You can raid our savings. You can confiscate our property. You can deny us our liberty and put us behind bars.

“But shooting the messenger can never destroy the message: that this country is going to hell unless you take emergency action to stop putting carbon into the air.”

Nine Insulate Britain protesters were jailed last year for defying the court order banning them from protesting on the M25.