The officer in charge of the removal and arrests of the duo who blocked the Dartford Crossing for 36 hours has warned people not to blast fireworks at protesters.

Essex Police's Chief Inspector Simon Anslow has said that anyone angry with the disruptive protesters should leave these kinds of matters to the police.

Just Stop Oil activists scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on Monday morning and stayed in hammocks with a Just Stop Oil banner across the bridge for more than 36 hours.

The pair were brought down using an elevated platform and arrested yesterday evening after surrendering to police.

National Highways reopened the crossing shortly before 11pm on Tuesday.

A video circulating on social media that appears to show fireworks being let off in the direction of the protesters on the Dartford Crossing is being investigated by police.

It is not clear whether or not the video definitely was taken at the time the protesters were on the bridge.

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “Kent Police is aware of a video circulating online which appears to show fireworks being set off in Greenhithe near to the QEII bridge, Dartford.

“Officers are making inquiries to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the video and to identify any offences which may have been committed.”

Essex Police's Chief Inspector Simon Anslow said that it “doesn’t help in any way, shape or form” to do this.

He continued on LBC news: "It doesn't help in any way, shape or form – it's dangerous, it's a criminal offence and people should leave it in our hands to resolve it and trust us that we are working to keep them safe and resolve it as soon as they can.

"I'm really happy with the speed at which we worked to procure the crane, to train and make sure our staff were absolutely safe working 55m above the road, 130m above the water, where a mistake has an inevitable consequence on those officers working at that height.”

He added that the Just Stop Oil protesters surrendered to them “when they saw the crane coming to the bridge” as they “knew the game was up”.

In a previous statement, Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “We cannot tolerate people carrying out activity which puts lives at risk and prevents people from going about their lives.

“I know this has been really frustrating for the public and the disruption has negatively impacted on businesses and meant people have been late for, or missed, appointments.

“Alongside our partners, we worked hard to resolve this complex situation as quickly and safely as possible.

“Now the situation has been resolved, National Highways will make the decision about when and how the bridge can reopen.

“I want to again reiterate, we are not in any way anti-protest, and we will always seek to facilitate safe protest where we can.

“However, it is unacceptable for people to think they can put lives in danger with irresponsible actions. In this case, it is clear that we had to act, but that action had to be safe and responsible, and I want to again thank the public for their patience and understanding.”

The two protesters said on the Just Stop Oil Twitter page after agreeing to come down: “We successfully disrupted oil supplies to Kent and the South East for 36 hrs.

“We are stepping down now but other supporters of Just Stop Oil will be stepping up day after day, causing disruption and putting their liberty on the line to demand that the government ends new oil and gas.”

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