Is It Illegal to Block a Road in Protest in the UK?

Yes - deliberately blocking a road during a protest is a criminal offence in the UK, under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980.

The offence is "wilful obstruction of the highway," and "highway" is defined broadly - it covers roads, pavements, and grass verges, not just main carriageways.

The obstruction has to be wilful - deliberate rather than accidental - which is usually evidenced by police asking protesters to move and them refusing. Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, the maximum penalty has increased substantially, from a fine of up to £1,000 to up to 51 weeks' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both - a significant escalation from where the law stood previously.

What this means in practice: organisations affected by protest activity blocking access - deliveries, staff, visitors, emergency vehicles - aren't without recourse. This is a genuine criminal offence police can act on, separate from any civil trespass question about the land itself.

Can you move protesters blocking the road in the UK?

In most cases, not yourself.

Dealing with the obstruction is a job for the police, who can direct protesters to move, impose conditions on a protest under the Public Order Act 1986, and arrest for wilful obstruction. Section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 does allow reasonable force to prevent a crime, but physically dragging a peaceful, seated protester out of the road rarely meets that test, and the person doing the moving can end up facing an assault allegation. The safer course for staff is to keep people back, record what's happening, and call the police early, making clear what access is being blocked.

Our Protest Management & Safety training covers exactly this kind of situation - understanding what's actually happening legally, so your team can respond calmly and appropriately rather than guessing.