Environmental campaigners who glued their hands to the road have been arrested during a demonstration on a busy stretch near Manchester Airport.
Protesters brandishing Insulate Britain banners blocked traffic and attached themselves to the road surface on Tuesday morning (November 2).
The group of activists, all dressed in high-visibility orange vests, positioned themselves in the carriageway near junction 6 of the M56.
RECAP: Insulate Britain protest blocks motorway near Manchester Airport - live updates
One demonstrator said the action was aimed at making the UK government take notice of the climate crisis.
Police say 11 people were arrested during the protest, which was brought to an end at around 1pm after four hours.
Greater Manchester Police said the ‘majority’ of protesters had glued themselves to the road and were removed by officers and detained on suspicion of causing danger to road-users (section 22a of Road Traffic Act).
The disruption started at around 9am, with demonstrators gathering with banners and blocking traffic by standing on the road.
They then sat down on the carriageway as several glued their hands to the tarmac.
In scenes filmed by the Manchester Evening News, one protester appeared to be placed in handcuffs and was carried away by police officers at around 11.20am.
Officers then proceeded to use solvent to unglue the hands of those protesting from the road.
Several people were then carried, or escorted from the scene by police.
Officers say routes to the nearby motorway and airport were not blocked during the demonstration.
They thanked motorists for their patience 'despite their understandable frustration'.
Greater Manchester Police tweeted: "A total of 11 people have now been arrested.
"The majority of protesters had glued themselves to the road before being later removed by officers and detained on suspicion of causing danger to road-users (section 22a of Road Traffic Act).
"Disruption was kept to a minimum as officers ensured routes to the nearby motorway and airport weren’t blocked, and all roads in the area have now returned to normal.
"We thank the public for their co-operation despite their understandable frustration."
One person told the M.E.N. the protest was aimed at highlighting perceived government failings on climate change.
They said "We’re here because the government are failing to recognise the biggest threat to humanity that’s ever faced us."
Calling Prime Minister Boris Johnson a ‘traitor’, the protester added said: "He’s endangering the lives of every single person in this country."
The activist said Insulate Britain wants all social housing in the UK to be fully insulated by 2025.
“And we want all houses to have a full low carbon retrofit by 2030,” he said.
“This is recommended by the government's own committee on climate change and it's one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of reducing emissions.
“But also it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs and brings people out of fuel poverty.”
The demonstrator apologised for the disruption but said: “We’re really sorry to have to do this but this is about years of government failure.
“The situation is really desperate when you look at the climate science.
“I don’t think we’re causing a huge amount of disruption from where we are."
