A GRANDMOTHER from Frome has been arrested for her part in a Just Stop Oil protest.

Ruth Cook, a 71-year-old retired company director and a grandmother, was arrested yesterday (Thursday, July 13) during a Just Stop Oil slow march.

Cook was arrested for breaching a Section 12 notice on Wormstreet Street and later taken to Bishopsgate police station. In March, Ruth was given a suspended sentence for gluing herself to the M4 near Heathrow Airport with Insulate Britain.

She could now face prison.

Whilst on the street, she said: “I am willing to go to prison for this. I am willing to do that because I am desperate – and some of us need to be arrested and go to prison so that our government takes notice.” 

Cook also took part in a mum's march on Shaftesbury Avenue on Wednesday (July 12). She joined 23 others from the West Country, who held up signs like 'give our kids hope'.

This march resulted in the arrests of three women, two from Bristol and one from Bradford-on-Avon.

A medics' march, which took place on the same day, also caused disruption on Newington Causeway and Maryleborne Road. 

Just Stop Oil will be marching every day next week, starting from July 16 and finishing on July 23, in the hopes of changing the government's stance on oil, gas and coal.

A spokesperson from Just Stop Oil said: "This week’s action comes amid reports that Europe’s record breaking heatwave has claimed its first life this summer, prompting health warnings for tourists. The European Space Agency suggests that the heatwave has only just begun.

"Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all experiencing extreme heat. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia are expected to hit 48°C– potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe. ESA reports that yesterday land surface temperatures reached over 50°C in Sicily, and Spain saw land surface temperatures reach 60°C. 

"Just Stop Oil supporters have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since the April 24. Over 800 ordinary people from all over the UK have taken part. Including arrests at the Coronation and cultural and sporting events there have been around 238 arrests this year."