Protesters Climb Key Bridge East of London, Clogging Key Freight Route

Two climate activists climbed to the top of a heavily used road bridge east of London on Monday morning, forcing police to close the crossing and causing traffic on the route to come to a standstill.

The Just Stop Oil campaign group, which wants Britain to stop all new oil and gas projects, said a teacher and a bridge design engineer from London, both in their 30s, climbed the Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) Bridge across the River Thames, Reuters reported.

The cable-stayed bridge, which opened in 1991 as the only bridge across the Thames downstream of Central London in a century, serves as a key route for international freight traveling north after arriving on England’s southern coast.

England’s highways authority warned of two-hour delays and advised motorists to find alternative routes.