The Home Secretary Priti Patel has blasted “selfish” climate protesters who brought traffic to a standstill on the M25.

Insulate Britain campaigners blocked thousands of motorists at four junctions on Britain’s busiest motorway shortly after 8am on Wednesday - the second time in three days.

When KentOnline contacted Insulate Britain after the protest, a spokesman confirmed all 21 of those protesting in Dartford at junctions 1A and 1B had been arrested.

The demonstrators, including some who had glued themselves to the road, were demanding government action on home insulation.

Scores of protesters were held on Wednesday by officers deployed from four forces - Surrey Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Kent Police and the Met.

It is suggested by totals given by each force 86 people were arrested overall.

Dozens of climate change protestors were also arrested after a series of sit-ins caused major delays on the M25 on Monday and erupted into clashes with drivers.

Police were called to a series of demonstrations blocking slip roads on the motorway network near the Dartford Crossing.

Videos emerged online showing an unnamed driver attempting to break up the blockade and drag away a climate campaigner before being stopped by police.

Another man is heard saying "I don't understand why you won't move them."

Yesterday evening, Ms Patel spoke out against the “guerrilla tactics” used by protesters which she said “detract from their cause”.

She said: "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there will always be space for legitimate groups to make their voices heard.

"But this Government will not stand by and allow a small minority of selfish protesters to cause significant disruption to the lives and livelihoods of the hard-working majority.

"The guerrilla tactics used by Insulate Britain detract from their cause and I know the public will agree that the scenes on the M25 this week were completely unacceptable."

Detective chief superintendent Andrew Pritchard from Kent Police confirmed 21 people from two groups were arrested on Wednesday.

"They have since been released from custody while an appropriate course of action is determined.

"The ability to protest is a fundamental part of democracy, however, when these protests start to endanger the public and put the safety of others at risk a proportionate course of action will be taken. This will include engaging with individuals involved and encouraging them to leave the area before moving onto enforcement action.

"Kent Police is working with the other forces, the CPS and partner agencies to gather evidence and ensure there are consequences for those who break the law.

"We understand that these protests have caused huge disruption to members of the public, commuters and businesses which is unacceptable, and we will continue to take the most proportionate and robust course of action available to us."

Meanwhile, Jerry Westerman, chief superintendent with Surrey Police, appealed for witnesses who may have dashcam footage.

He said: “I appreciate that these protests have caused considerable inconvenience and frustration for those caught up in the traffic delays and I can assure you that we are continuing to gather evidence and ensure that those who break the law are brought to justice.

“I would like to thank all those motorists who got caught up in the delays, both yesterday and on Monday, while we dealt with the incident, for their co-operation and patience.

“We are continuing to appeal to anyone who witnessed either incident or anyone with any dashcam footage to come forward as you may be able to help us progress our investigation.”

Kent Police previously said officers arrested 21 people for obstructing the highway on Wednesday.

Shane Collins from Insulate Britain speaking earlier this week

Surrey Police said officers made 33 arrests at Junctions 8 and 10 for offences including public nuisance, obstructing the highway and conspiracy to cause danger to road users.

Of these arrests, 12 were released under investigation, while 21 were released on conditional bail.

The Met said officers arrested 14 people at Junction 25 for obstructing the public highway, following another 17 who were involved in the previous protest on Monday at Junction 14.

The force identified three people they suspect were the organisers as a 55-year-old man at an address in Walworth, a 45-year-old woman at an address in Milton Keynes, and a 49-year-old man at a location in Torquay.

They were arrested for conspiracy to cause public nuisance over the first protest.

Hertfordshire Constabulary said it made 18 arrests on Wednesday.

The Met were asked by the Press Association whether there were any overlaps in arrest figures given by each force, but could not confirm.

Insulate Britain said 89 of its members took part in the demonstration on Wednesday.

Shane Collins from Insulate Britain, said this week: "Unfortunately the other methods of writing letters, of voting once every four years, of campaigning are just not having the desired effect.

"The government, whilst it has good targets for 2050, we are not hitting the milestones to get to those targets."

Instead Shane added we are going in "completely the opposite direction".

"There's a huge road building programme," he said. "Pretty much every airport in the country wants to expand.

"The government is giving licences to new coal fields and new oil exploration."

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