Eco-mob will block M25 from 7am TODAY

Eco-zealots who brought the M25 to a halt on three days of protest last week - causing misery for thousands of commuters and people trying to get to hospital - are planning yet another protest on Britain's busiest road from 7am today.

In a statement, XR splinter group Insulate Britain said it wrote to the Highways Agency and relevant police forces to tell them that their 'campaign' of 'civil disobedience' would continue today - and that supporters would be on the M25 network without specifying which parts.

The demonstrators said they are asking the Highways Agency to 'review their previous decision not to reduce speed limits, even though they had been made aware that major disruption will be taking place' - a request they said was 'refused'.

A copy of the letter sent to the authorities published on the Insulate Britain website said: 'In the context of the horror of the climate crisis we believe that it is entirely proportionate to create disruption on the motorway network if it means the UK Government fulfils its legal obligation of staying below 2C which will stop the unimaginable suffering for future generations.

'Our request was refused. We write now to request that you review this decision, as campaign supporters will be on the M25 network on Monday 20th September from 7am.' 

Last week the group infuriated drivers by blocking the M25 on three separate days as part of a protest - with as many as 80 activists bringing the motorway to a halt on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while also shutting down the M3 and M11. 

Police chiefs came under intense pressure for the way they tackled the protests and Priti Patel summoned Met Commissioner Cressida Dick and other force bosses responsible for the M25 after they failed to drag away protesters 'immediately'.

Shocking video emerged showing an officer stopping traffic to allow protesters onto the motorway earlier this week, with the Met saying he was trying to keep the activists 'safe'. The anger at the police's handling of the situation was increased after photos emerged showing some protesters attending all three demonstrations, despite being previously arrested. 

It comes as ex-Green Party leader Caroline Lucas was branded 'extreme' after she defended the protesters, insisting their demands are 'reasonable' and claiming: 'We face an existential crisis, an emergency, and we need to take emergency action now.'

During a fiery exchange on Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme, the MP for Brighton Pavilion was repeatedly asked if she would have joined protesters from XR splinter group Insulate Britain had she been invited to join the three demonstrations. 

Ms Lucas eventually admitted that their actions were 'extreme' but justified, calling the group's demands to insulate homes 'reasonable'. 

'I have a proud history of taking nonviolent direct action as does the Green Party and we do believe that it is legitimate when other forms of trying to raise issues with the Government have failed,' the former Green Party leader told an irate Mr Phillips this morning.

'As long as it is nonviolent then I think we need to understand why protesters have taken this extreme action. Ban Ki-Moon, the former UN Secretary-General, has said this is an emergency and in emergency situations we need to take emergency action. 

'I believe that it what those protesters were doing. It is really difficult to try to capture on a mild September Sunday the fact that we are facing an existential threat to life on Earth... that is what we are facing. When it comes to the demands of those protesters, they want the Government to insulate Britain. I cannot think of a more reasonable demand.' 

Speaking to MailOnline, Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger branded Ms Lucas 'extreme', adding: 'I simply cannot believe that Caroline Lucas is using her Parliamentary position to further her own agenda rather than serve the proper interests of the British public. 

'If she had her own way, there would be no nuclear, no gas and no oil - just wind turbine and people living by candlelight. We cannot go back to the Dark Ages just because of the extreme actions of a extreme faction of an extreme organisation, backed by an extreme MP.'  

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After giving a long-winded answer to Mr Phillips' simple question of whether she would have joined the protests, the Sky News presenter told Ms Lucas: 'I'm taking that as a yes and you think it's reasonable for this cause to stop people going to work particularly those people who can't work from home? You think that's ok?'

She then continued: 'I think it is unreasonable for this government to have failed' - before she was interrupted by Mr Phillips, who said: 'No let's stick with the protest. You think it's reasonable for them to have done what they did.'

Again, the ex-Green Party leader began: 'I'm saying that their demands are reasonable and' - before Mr Phillips interrupted: 'No I'm asking about what they did.' 

Ms Lucas said: 'It is reasonable to take emergency action and that's what they were doing. The Government has failed to put in place any kind of insulation programme. First of all we had the Green Deal that completely failed, it had interest rates of eight per cent so that people were taking loans to insulate their homes. Then we had the Green Homes Grant, that has collapsed in absolute chaos. 

'There is no programme to keep people's homes warm. In the meantime what is happening is that people are dying prematurely every year from fuel poverty. Around 15 per cent of our emissions in the UK are coming from our leaky housing stock. What is unreasonable is the fact that the Government sets its face against a set of policies that will get our emissions down, will get jobs up, will get fuel bills down and would address some of the issues you were talking to Alok (Sharma, the President of COP26) about.'

Mr Phillips then said: 'I fully understand your point about what you regard as government inequities, but to be absolutely clear, you think this was a perfectly reasonable action. If they had sent you an invitation next time, you'd say: 'yeah, I'm come and I'll block the M25'.'

She replied: 'I am saying that in extreme situations it is reasonable to take extreme actions and that is what has driven these protesters to do that. Personally I prefer to take action where it is closer to the target of that action, so that might be Downing Street, it might be the Treasury, but I fully understand why protesters felt driven to do something more dramatic than that, because government has been ignoring all those kinds of actions for many many years. We face an existential crisis, an emergency, and we need to take emergency action now.' 

It comes as church leaders slammed two priests - Rev Tim Hewes and Rev Sue Parfitt - who were among protesters who glued themselves to sliproads around the M25. Rev Parfitt, 79, who has previously committed contempt of court by gluing herself to court furniture after being arrested during XR protests, was pictured in her clerical collar, with protesters next to an overpass on Wednesday.

Rev Hewes, 71, who was photographed in August outside the offices of Rupert Murdoch's News UK building after sewing his lips together in protest over what he called the 'muting' of climate science, also took part.

Church of England sources told the Sunday Telegraph: 'We don't think what Tim and Sue are doing is particularly helpful. There is an urgent need for real action to tackle climate change, but blocking roads and sewing your lips together is not the right way to go about it.

'It's this sort of thing that alienates people and makes them think that tackling the climate crisis is not possible without extremist measures. We don't think the protests this week led to anything other than irritated drivers and could well have placed people in danger.'  

The Home Secretary held an emergency Zoom call with police chiefs after protesters from Insulate Britain shut down the UK's busiest road during rush hour every 48 hours this week and made officers 'look like idiots', one Tory MP said. 

The enviro-zealots even warned officers they would do it again after being released without bail conditions on Monday and Wednesday - with Hertfordshire Police defending the decision not to charge them claiming they still need time to 'gather evidence and build a case' despite arresting dozens of them in the middle of the M25.

Surrey Police's Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Kent Police's Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, Hertfordshire Constabulary's Chief Constable Charlie Hall and Essex's Ben-Julian Harrington are all in the firing line over their soft-touch response to the crippling protests.

A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: 'The police have failed to do their duty. It's time for Chief Constables to decide whose side they're on. The actions of these people is an absolute bl**dy disgrace. 

'They should be locked away. I'm appalled about why they have been released on bail with no restrictions. Not only have police not arrested these people for proper offences - they've not charged them with anything at all'.

A source close to the Home Secretary told MailOnline that at the summit with police chiefs she reiterated her message that 'these people are breaking the law and must be removed immediately'. The insider did not go into what was discussed about the M25 - and how they would break the cycle of protests -  for 'operational reasons'. But said: 'The British public does not expect the police to be standing by while protesters disrupt people's daily lives.'

Tory MP for South Thanet, Craig Mackinlay MP, said:  'I am surprised that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has not advised her officers to make use of one of numerous possible legal provisions to prevent, remove, arrest and charge the activists within Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and other anarchist groups causing mayhem to the law-abiding public simply trying to go about their normal activities and costing millions in lost business and valuable police time.'

One Tory backbencher told MailOnline: 'Priti's tough talking isn't enough. These protesters are making the police look like idiots and the buck stops with the Home Secretary and her chief constables'. 

Ms Patel is under growing pressure with some drivers taking to social media demanding she 'sorts this mess out' or resigns. Others said Boris Johnson should sack her if police continue to 'fail to keep roads open'.

One said: 'Police - clear the f**king roads. Keep Britain moving or resign @pritipatel'. Another tweeted a picture of the police guarding the protesters and wrote: '@pritipatel - sort it or resign to let someone in who will'. One driver wrote simply: 'Resign @pritipatel'. 

Priti Patel had ordered police to take 'decisive action' against the 'selfish' eco-protesters and described the 'guerrilla tactics' of Insulate Britain as 'completely unacceptable'. But critics have demanded to know what she will do to stamp out the problem, and halt the embarrassing cycle of protests, after the eco-warriors completely ignored her. 

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has been accused of 'losing control' of protests again and urged to resign just days after she was granted a two-year extension at Scotland Yard despite her critics including the parents of Stephen Lawrence and Jean Charles de Menezes saying she 'should have been fired long ago'. One Government source told MailOnline the way it had been handled by the police this week was 'mental'.  

As officers were shown being soft touch and drivers tried to clear the roads themselves, a Metropolitan Police officer was even filmed helping protesters to walk in front of cars and take their places at junction 25 on the M25 where they calmly sat down and blocked the road on Wednesday.  The Met defended the officer, saying it was for safety reasons, was a 'dynamic' decision and did not facilitate the protest. 

But Insulate Britain said its 'actions will continue until the Government makes a meaningful commitment to insulate all of Britain's 29 million leaky homes by 2030, which are among the oldest and most energy inefficient in Europe'. 

The mob from Insulation Britain turned up to blockade junction 28 at Brentwood at around 8.30am on Friday but officers from Essex Police were waiting for them and arrested them before they could start their protest. 

A small number broke through but they were then dragged away within minutes and thrown into patrol cars yelling at officers about their rights and saying: 'What you are doing is illegal'.  Irate drivers were seen rowing, jostling and even spitting at the protesters on the M11 at J8 near Stansted before more Essex officers dragged the troublemakers off the road.

There were also successful protests at J3 and J9 of the M25 as well a group at J1 of the M3. Some threw blue paint on the road, which led to police deciding to shut junctions for even longer to clean it off. 

One protester called Sandy, 31, who works as a teacher, told the Sun Online: 'On Monday and Wednesday there was a lot of screaming at us from motorists. Today, we're well protected by the police and there's less opportunity for it.'

The activist said she had now been arrested three times next week, adding: 'I feel calm. It's out of my hands now. If I'm released, I will come back here. Losing my job is a small concern compared to what's coming if we don't lower our carbon emissions.'

Another activist Oliver, 41, from London, added: 'The police wouldn't interview us when they arrested us earlier this week - they all just released us with no bail conditions. I told two officers I was going out to commit the crime again. They just advised against it.'