Police have made 20 arrests after Insulate Britain protesters attempted to block the M25.

Hertfordshire Constabulary was called at 7.45am to reports of protesters near junction 23 (Bignells Corner).

Most of them were intercepted before reaching the carriageway.

Several protestors were also at the A1081 St Albans Road slip road and had glued themselves to the carriageway and pavement.

Partial road closures were put in place in order to allow specially trained officers to safely de-bond them.

A total of 20 people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

Four people were also arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

Chief Superintendent Nick Caveney said: “Officers were at the scene within minutes, working quickly to make arrests and putting partial road closures in place in order to keep traffic flowing, meaning that disruption was kept to a minimum.

“Not only is purposely blocking a highway incredibly dangerous, it also affects countless members of the public who are inconvenienced as a result. We would like to thank motorists for their patience while officers dealt with the matter this morning.

“We understand how frustrating incidents of this nature are to the public, and want to reassure you that we have robust plans in place in order to minimise any disruption and to allow us to make arrests as quickly as we possibly can. We continue to work closely with our partners and other affected forces to ensure that any further activity is dealt with effectively and efficiently.”