Somerset Insulate Britain protester fined for obstructing M25

Ruth Anne Cook, of Langham Place, Rode, admitted ‘wilfully obstructing the free passage along a highway’ on September 13 and September 15, 2021.

Cook, 65, also pleaded guilty to entering or remaining on the London motorway while on foot on September 21.

Insulate Britain organised a series of protests last year to demand that the government fund the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025 and retrofit all homes with improved insulation by 2030.

The group said: “Insulating the homes of Britain will save lives and provide warm homes while pound-for-pound making the most effective contribution to reducing carbon and providing meaningful jobs.”

Protests on the M25 took place between September and November.

Other roads targeted by the protesters included the M1, the M4, and the A20 at the Port of Dover.

Cook’s name appeared in a Metropolitan Police news release in March alongside 55 others who were due to appear in court “after being charged following a Met investigation into protests on the M25”.

The words 'Insulate Britain' were spray-painted onto Crawley Magistrates' Court at the start of April. Picture: Luke O'Reilly, PA Wire

A police spokesperson said: “The charges relate to demonstrations that took place at two locations on three dates in September.

“Officers helped manage traffic disruption and made several arrests.”

Court documents say Cook pleaded guilty to both counts of wilfully obstructing a highway and to entering or remaining the M25 while on foot.

They also say she did not appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court, West Sussex, when she was sentenced on April 29.

Cook was fined £400 and ordered to pay a £40 surcharge to fund victim services and £85 in court costs obstructing the motorway on September 13.

She was also fined £400 and told to pay a £40 surcharge for both of her other offences, bringing her total court bill to £1,408.