Stop Oil activists have dug an underground tunnel beneath a key tanker route to the BP Kingsbury Terminal
Monitoring Desk
Petrol pumps are running dry in parts of the UK after protestors dug an underground tunnel to block fuel tankers.
Just Stop Oil activists surrounded a caravan parked on the roadside to conceal the passage under a key tanker route to the BP Kingsbury Terminal near Tamworth in Warwickshire, reports BirminghamLive.
It is part of three demonstrations across the country today, the other two taking place at sites in Hertfordshire and Essex.
With dozens of activists having also locked themselves in at the Buncefield and Grays terminals.
Further UK-wide demonstrations have already added to fuel shortage problems at the pumps for motorists.
One in three petrol stations in the South have been closed as a result of the eco protests, which began on April 1.
Around 1,200 pumps south of the Midlands are currently closed, the Campaign for Fair Fuel has claimed.
JSO said as police made arrests, five of their members remained inside the caravan to continue work on the tunnel on Sunday.
Their actions have had a drastic impact on fuel supplies in the Midlands.
Those taken into custody in Warwickshire were arrested for offences including criminal damage, conspiracy to cause criminal damage and conspiracy to commit public nuisance.
At around 2.30am today, 40 people approached the gates of the Buncefield oil terminal in Hertfordshire and locked on, blocking the entrance.
Four hours later, the same happened at the Grays Inter Terminal in Thurrock, with 40 activists climbing the loading bay pipework and locking themselves in.
Some 26 people are currently being dealt with at the site by local officers, say Essex Police, which has made a total of 338 arrests in a week.
Speaking today at the Tamworth demonstration, Rev. Tim Hughes, 71, a retired priest from Swindon, said: “I’m here because our government is useless, they make a lot of noise but they are doing nothing.
“As a priest I have a duty of care for people, and also for creation.
“What I’m doing here, with everyone in this caravan, is what our government should be doing – that is trying to protect our families and our loved ones from the appalling future that stands before us.
“I hope we can continue what we’re doing and stop the flow of oil, if the government won’t.”
The public will continue to see a heightened police presence in the vicinity of the site over the coming days.
Assistant Chief Constable Ben Smith said: “It has been another busy weekend for the force as protestors continue to target the Kingsbury site.
“As a result of unlawful protest activity another 29 people have been arrested and taken into custody.
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Courtesy: Mirror, London
