Just Stop Oil: Reporter speaks about her arrest at M25 protest

A vigor writer said she was handcuffed and successful constabulary custody for 5 hours aft being arrested portion reporting connected a Just Stop Oil protest.

LBC newsman Charlotte Lynch said she was connected a roadworthy span implicit the M25 successful Hertfordshire connected Tuesday.

She said she was arrested connected suspicion of conspiracy to perpetrate a nationalist nuisance, earlier being released.

Hertfordshire's Chief Constable Charlie Hall said measures were present successful spot truthful morganatic media could bash their jobs.

Ms Lynch said the incidental was "absolutely terrifying".

She said the apprehension happened connected a span betwixt junction 20 (Abbots Langley) and junction 21 (M1/St Albans interchange).

Ms Lynch said she showed officers her property paper and explained she was reporting connected the demonstration, but her telephone was taken and she was arrested.

She said she was searched astatine the broadside of the road, earlier officers seized her devices and took her to Stevenage constabulary presumption successful a custody van.

She said: "That travel took implicit an hr due to the fact that of the M25 being closed.

"I was successful the backmost of a constabulary van, my hands were successful beforehand of me, handcuffed the full time, connected my own, the 2 constabulary officers were down the solid cage.

"That's erstwhile it dawned connected maine 'gosh, I could beryllium charged here' and everything runs done your caput 'have I really committed this offence?' adjacent though I knew I hadn't.

"We got to the constabulary presumption and I thought I'll reply their questions and I'll beryllium connected my way."

Ms Lynch said officers wanted to cognize however she knew astir the protest.

She added that she was detained successful a compartment for 5 hours earlier being released with nary further action.

"It was perfectly terrifying being successful a compartment with a pad for a furniture successful 1 country and a metallic toilet successful the other," she said.

"I was conscionable doing my job. What's besides terrifying is what this means for property freedom. It was blindingly evident I was a reporter."

A connection from Hertfordshire Police said: "Our officers person been instructed to enactment arsenic rapidly arsenic they can, utilizing their nonrecreational judgment, to wide immoderate imaginable protesters successful bid to get roads up and moving and to forestall anyone from coming to harm."

Chief Constable Hall said helium recognised the concerns implicit the caller arrests of journalists who arrived astatine these locations and person been contiguous with the protestors astatine the scenes.

In addition, Mr Hall was requesting an autarkic unit to analyse their attack to these arrests and to place immoderate learning they should instrumentality successful managing what helium called these challenging situations.