Two men charged over Just Stop Oil Dartford Crossing protest

Two men have been charged over a Just Stop Oil protest that closed the Dartford Crossing for two days.

Morgan Trowland, 39, of Islington, north London, and Marcus Decker, 33, of no fixed address, have both been charged with committing a public nuisance, Essex Police said.

They will appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court later today.

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “Our priorities have always been to keep people safe and work with our partners to keep Essex moving.”

“We have done this consistently during incidents of disruption across the county this year and again this week”, He added.

“As we have consistently said, we are not anti-protest, but we must take action when we believe laws have been broken and the safety of the public is put at risk.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, connecting Kent and Essex, was blocked for more than 36 hours from Monday morning, in a protest by Just Stop Oil environmental activists.

The crossing was reopened shortly before 11pm on Tuesday by the National Highways.

The charges come after 17 Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested on Wednesday morning in Kensington, central London, after 10 people glued themselves to the road.

The arrests took place at the junction of Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road, the Metropolitan Police said.