Moment woman begs Insulate Britain climate protesters to allow her through blockade to visit mother in hospital

Watch: Motorist begs eco-protesters to move so she can visit mother in hospital

This is the moment a motorist pleads with climate change protesters blocking her from following her 81-year-old mother who had just been taken in an ambulance to hospital.

Campaign group Insulate Britain blocked four sites around London on Monday morning, once more bringing traffic chaos to roads around the capital.

One of the locations targeted was close to the Blackwall Tunnel in east London, where a female motorist was filmed begging protesters to let her through.

She was later allowed to pass through, according to LBC.

The woman said her elderly mother, aged 81, had just been taken to hospital in Canterbury, Kent, in an ambulance and that she was trying to visit her.

Read more: Who are Insulate Britain and what do they want?

In video footage captured by LBC Radio, the woman says to protesters: “How can you be so selfish?”

She tells them: “My mum is 81 and she’s going to hospital.

“She’s in the ambulance, she’s going to hospital in Canterbury. I need to go to the hospital.

“Please move your cars, please. This isn’t OK.”

Insulate Britain said about 50 people had blocked four sites around the capital on Monday morning during the fourth week of its campaign to urge the government to insulate 29 million homes by 2030.

The activists at the Blackwall Tunnel sat on the northbound A102 at rush hour. Wandsworth Bridge in south London, Hanger Lane in west London and Arnos Grove in north London were also targeted.

Furious motorists at Wandsworth Bridge dragged protesters out of the road where they appeared to be blocking an ambulance, in a video shared by TalkRadio.

One driver can be heard saying: “There’s an ambulance… get out of the road”, as activists were picked off the ground and dragged away.

It is the latest in a string of protests from the group, which has previously targeted the M25, M4 and Port of Dover.

This comes after the government took out a fresh injunction last week banning protesters from Insulate Britain from obstructing traffic and access to motorways and major A roads in and around London.

Anyone who breaks the injunction faces imprisonment or an unlimited fine, and activists found in contempt of court may also be forced to repay the costs of their case.

The Metropolitan Police said it has arrested 38 people on suspicion of disrupting the highway and conspiracy to cause public nuisance.

Protests have taken place on the A2, the A3, the A12 and A40, and the force said heavy disruption remains at all four locations, although the roads remain open.

In a statement on Twitter, the force said: “We consider protests of this nature unreasonable and are acting as quickly as possible to minimise disruption caused to members of the public using the roads.”

Watch: Insulate Britain switches protest to M1 and M4