Dangerous tunnelling by protesters will be banned under a new law
announced by the Home Secretary today, as the government acts to
end the serious disruption and risk to life this guerrilla
protest tactic poses.
The digging of make-shift tunnels is one of the most dangerous
and costly tactics deployed by groups such as Just Stop Oil and
protesters against levelling up projects such as HS2. The removal
operation alone following tunnelling by protesters at Small Dean
in Buckinghamshire in 2021 added more than £4 million to the cost
of HS2.
Filled with lethal levels of carbon monoxide and dioxide, these
tunnels can become death traps, not just for those inside them
and members of the public, but also for those who are required to
undertake rescue operations.
An amendment to the Public Order Bill will make it a criminal
offence to cause serious disruption by creating and occupying
tunnels, while going equipped to create these tunnels will also
be criminalised.
With a proposed new maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment
and an unlimited fine, the gravity of the potential impact of
tunnelling will be properly recognised for the first time.
Home Secretary, , said:
This country will not be held to ransom by so-called
activists unconcerned about putting the lives of others in
danger.
These death traps don’t just put lives at risk, they divert
precious police resources away from where they are needed
most.
These measures will give our police the powers they need to crack
down on this lawlessness and continue to make our streets safer.
The current offences available are not sufficient to recognise
and deal with the scale of danger and disruption caused by
tunnelling. This law will empower our police and courts to take
action, from arrest through to conviction, against those intent
on risking lives.
Another amendment to the Bill will extend the powers to manage
public assemblies to the British Transport Police and Ministry of
Defence Police.
The Public Order Bill complements the Police, Crime, Sentencing
and Courts Act, recently passed into law, which has increased the
penalty for wilfully obstructing a highway and will make public
nuisance a statutory offence.
