Seventeen people have been arrested so far following a protest at Buncefield Oil depot in Hemel Hempstead today.
Police were called just before 4.15am today (Friday, April 1) to reports that a number of protesters were blocking the entrance to the Buncefield depot in Green Lane.
The protesters were from action group Just Stop Oil, who are calling on the government to stop new oil and gas projects in the United Kingdom.
The action in Hemel Hempstead was part of wider action at 10 depots across the nation today.
Superintendent Sue Jameson said: “Officers were on the scene within minutes and were faced with a challenging situation, in which protestors had blocked the site entrance by using disruptive tactics, such as locking themselves to a large structure and to a fuel tanker.
“So far, we have arrested 17 people and expect to arrest a further 10 once they have been safely removed. Policing protests is complex, in part due to the operating environment, the number of people involved and the need for us to deploy specialist resources and equipment in order to resolve and manage the situation.
“The ability to protest peacefully in a democracy is important, but when it is causing wider disruption for both businesses and the public, putting people in danger and breaking laws, we will take necessary action.”
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