COPS spent nearly £2million ‘unsticking’ crusties from Insulate Britain protests on major roads it emerged.
The huge policing cost comes as the Home Office has unveiled a raft of new powers to stop the eco-zeolots from causing more chaos by “locking-on” at demos.
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Powers being added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill today will allow cops to seize chains, glue and bamboo scaffolding from the eco-extremists.
It comes as the Metropolitan Police revealed the cost of policing ‘Insulate Britain’ between September 13and the October 10 this year was £1,961,616.
The Met’s Deputy Commissioner, Sir Steve House, said: “We have seen individuals lock themselves to the drive shafts of vehicles, locked together in tubes encased in concrete, locked onto structures at height, and glued to roads.
“Removing these lock-ons safely requires specialist policing teams to be deployed to what can be high risk environments, taking time and significant resources.
“This is time that our officers are taken away from policing their local communities and local policing priorities.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel added: “We have seen some of the most self-defeating and dangerous protests ever seen in recent years with people gluing themselves to roads and locking themselves to vehicles and buildings, causing serious disruption to the law-abiding majority across the country.
“These are selfish actions which drain the police of resources which should be used in our communities, protecting the vulnerable people who need them most.”
Ministers also want to make the act of locking-on a criminal offence punishable with six months behind bars and an unlimited fine.
Blocking a motorway would have the same punishment.
