Insulate Britain: Climate protester, 82, prepared to go to jail

An 82-year-old climate change protester says she is prepared to go to prison for blocking motorways.

Judy Bruce, from Swansea, is a member of the Insulate Britain group, which has blocked parts of the M25 five times in the last fortnight.

She said she had already spent three nights in custody but "nothing has got the impact that disruption does".

Earlier this week police said the protests were putting drivers at a "very high risk of death".

On Thursday the UK government won a court ruling against Insulate Britain, which wants the installation of heat-saving measures in social housing by 2025, and all homes by 2030.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted the activists faced "possible imprisonment if they flout" an injunction.

Protesters have also targeted other motorways, including the M11 near Stansted Airport in Essex, and the M3 in Surrey.

Ms Bruce said as well as well as sitting on the motorway she had been "de-escalating" by "talking to angry drivers and explaining why we're doing it".

She said: "[I've been] trying to help people who are really stuck with an urgent appointment, trying to get them to ring an ambulance which will always get through."

She said she understood why they were angry, adding: "If I was in a traffic jam, I'd be angry too.

"We've actually tried everything else... nothing has really got the impact that disruption does.

"We've got the notice of the whole country now and everybody is talking about it."

When asked by BBC Radio Wales Breakfast if she was prepared to go to prison for protesting, she said: "Well yes I am actually, and I've spent three evenings and into the early morning in police custody already - it is not very comfortable, I can tell you.

"But this is such a serious matter - I don't happen to have any children but other people are thinking of their grandchildren."

She said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was "saying all the right things" on climate change but "not actually putting them into practice", and called for the billions being spent on new roads and HS2 to be redirected to insulating homes.

Mr Johnson has said the COP26 summit in Glasgow will be the "turning point for humanity".

The civil court action was taken by National Highways, the government body which runs motorways.

In his High Court order, Mr Justice Lavender ruled it should last until 21 March, but there would be a hearing to review the situation on 5 October.

The order covers every part of the M25 and the Dartford Crossing, including slip roads and bridges, and states demonstrators are banned from "causing damage to the surface of or to any apparatus on or around the M25 including but not limited to painting, damaging by fire, or affixing any item or structure thereto".

The order means that breaching it could lead to a civil court hearing.

In a statement, Insulate Britain said it would continue its protests and "as soon as the government makes a meaningful statement that we can trust, we will leave the motorway".

During the recent protests, the government said it was "investing £1.3bn this year alone to support people to install energy efficiency measures, and our upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out how we decarbonise the nation's homes in a way that is fair, practical and affordable".