London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 08, 2026

Just Stop Oil protesters fined and held after weekend protests

Just Stop Oil protesters fined and held after weekend protests

Five activists in Essex and Warwickshire face legal action over efforts to disrupt fossil fuel supplies
Five environmental activists were held on remand over the Easter weekend over protests at oil terminals in Essex and Warwickshire.

Three members of the Just Stop Oil campaign held on remand by Warwickshire police were taken to Coventry magistrates court on Monday morning.

Katheryn Dowds, 28, Jake Handling, 27, and Josh Smith, 29, pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass at the Kingsbury oil terminal after their solicitor did not appear to advise them, according to a campaign source.

Dowds was fined £327, and Handling and Smith were fined £150 each. All were then released, only to be immediately rearrested and held again by police for breaching a high court injunction banning protests at the Kingsbury site, Just Stop Oil said.

“It is thought that they will appear tomorrow at Birmingham county court or Coventry in connection with this charge,” the campaign said.

In Essex, James Skeet, 34, and Stephanie Aylett, 27, were being held after denying charges of aggravated trespass and breach of bail conditions in an appearance at Chelmsford magistrates court on Saturday.

“Magistrates heard how both Skeet and Aylett had been arrested multiple times in Essex since the incidents of disruption began in the early hours of 1 April,” the force said in a statement.

Both had been transferred to prison from police custody on Monday, Just Stop Oil said. Their cases were due to be heard on Wednesday.

Just Stop Oil has been staging direct actions, including mass trespasses, tunnelling and blockades, at oil terminals and in locations around the Midlands and the south-east of England since 1 April in an effort to disrupt the supply of fossil fuels. They have vowed to continue until the government agrees to a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects.

On Saturday, Catherine Maclean, of Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, became the first person to be convicted over involvement in the Just Stop Oil campaign after admitting aggravated trespass at Chelmsford magistrates court.

Just Stop Oil said there had been nearly 1,000 arrests in connection with the campaign so far. Nine more campaign supporters were released without bail after they appeared at Coventry magistrates court on Saturday. Six pleaded not guilty, one pleaded guilty and two entered no plea, according to the campaign.

Valero Energy, the Texas-headquartered company that owns Kingsbury, has obtained a high court injunction banning protest activity at any of its six UK sites. “The order gives a power of arrest outside the terminal and at the junctions of the roads leading into the zone,” Warwickshire police said.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: “The courts are complicit in supporting a government that is knowingly fuelling climate breakdown and will have the death of millions on its hands.

“Just Stop Oil supporters have acted in line with their consciences. Just as the suffragettes and the freedom riders did they have chosen not to be bystanders in the face of the catastrophic and ongoing injustice of climate breakdown.

“Some politicians and media pundits have called Just Stop Oil’s demand and its supporters naive. But what is truly naive is the ongoing belief by a political and media establishment that young people will just lie down and die without resisting.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Salford Investigation After Two Teenagers Charged
UK Rejects Financial Reparations for Transatlantic Slavery
UK and Egypt Step Up Diplomacy Over Escalating West Bank Tensions
UK Pauses Council Reorganisation Across Four English Counties
Jaguar Land Rover Plans 4,000 Job Cuts in Major UK Restructuring
UK Unveils Planning and Regulatory Overhaul to Speed Infrastructure and Economic Growth
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
Three-Quarters of NHS Emergency Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
UK Considers Converting Female Prison Space for Male Inmates as Overcrowding Worsens
UK House Prices Record First Annual Decline in Nearly Three Years
UK Government Reassesses Policy Toward Israel Amid Calls for Diplomatic Shift
Reform UK Faces Police Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations Scheme
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
×