A 12-month extension to an injunction imposed as part of measures
to deter protesters from disrupting some of England’s busiest
roads has been granted by the High Court today.
The injunction covering the M25, M25 feeder roads and major roads
in Kent was originally obtained by National Highways last May and
will now remain in place for a further year – until 23.59 hrs on
10 May 2024.
A full copy of the court
order and the judgment can be seen via this link: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/kcnamsfm/king-s-bench-associate-s-blank-order.pdf
The extension of the injunction, secured following a court
hearing on Monday 24 April 2023 before Mr Justice Cotter, is
intended to prevent unlawful protests on the busy orbital
motorway around Greater London, roads which interchange with the
motorway and the roads leading to and around the Dover
ports.
Anyone found to be in breach of the injunction order may face
civil proceedings for contempt of court. They could face
imprisonment, an unlimited fine, the seizure of assets or a
combination of all three for breaching an injunction order.
The M25 is the country’s busiest motorway and has previously been
the focus of hugely disruptive protest action, most recently in
November last year. It is used by up to 200,000 vehicles each
day, supporting journeys in and around London, providing
connections to the South East ports and acting as a vital link to
the rest of England’s road network. Dover is the busiest port in
the country and is a major trade route with Europe.
Given Just Stop Oil’s ongoing campaign of causing major
disruption, National Highways remains concerned that the
motorways, predominantly in the South East, will continue to be
targeted by protesters in the future.
The injunction obtained by National Highways is part of ongoing
efforts by National Highways to deter protests on the strategic
road network. A further injunction was obtained in November last
year and specifically covers the structures on the M25, including
overhead gantries, which Just Stop Oil targeted that month.
Tim Reardon, National Highways’ General Counsel, said:
"Millions of people rely on the strategic road network every day
and they have a right to expect it to operate as it should.
“We are really pleased to have obtained an extension to this
injunction, so anyone intending to protest on the M25, its feeder
routes and main roads around the Port of Dover – in additional to
structures on the M25 - will run the risk of imprisonment, an
unlimited fine or a seizure of assets, or a combination of all
three.”
Details of all injunctions can be seen on the National Highways
website:
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/about-us/high-court-injunctions-for-motorways-and-major-a-roads/
National Highways continues to work closely and collaboratively
with police forces across areas affected by unlawful protest
activity with the aim of keeping disruption to the public to a
minimum.
In addition to these civil injunctions, the police separately
have a range of powers under criminal laws that they can use to
charge offenders with offences relating to protests on
roads.
