The Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey Lisa Townsend has welcomed tough sentences handed down to activists for their part in protests that blocked the M25.
The Commissioner said substantial jail terms given to five members of the Just Stop Oil group yesterday following a trial at Southwark Crown Court should act as a deterrent to others.
The protests which began in November 2022 caused mayhem on the M25 motorway network including a number of locations in Surrey.
Lisa said: “I am delighted to see the tough sentences handed down to members of Just Stop Oil yesterday for their part in the protests which caused chaos on the M25.
“As well as disrupting the lives of thousands of people in Surrey, their actions were quite simply dangerous and could have had fatal consequences.
“I am a firm believer in peaceful protest but when that spills over into co-ordinated criminal activism, then those responsible should face the full force of the law whatever their cause.
“I shared the anger and frustration the reckless actions of this group caused to many residents in Surrey. People missed vital medical appointments and family funerals while many including doctors and nurses couldn’t get into work.
“It also put an unnecessary strain on our hard working police teams whose time could have been much better spent policing in our communities. It was totally unacceptable and I would like to pay tribute to all of our hard working police teams for their swift efforts in disrupting these protests.
“I hope the sentences handed out yesterday will make others who are tempted to be drawn into this type of criminal behaviour stop and think.”