London: Scotland Yard on Tuesday said it was dealing with serious disruptions caused by climate change activists as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests which have blocked roads and traffic across London, resulting in 122 arrests.

Most of those arrested since Monday's launch of the weeks-long protests have been detained on suspicion of public order offences, while five people were held on charges of criminal damage at oil giant Shell's London headquarters. "We need to ensure we are striking the right balance between allowing the right to a peaceful protest, while ensuring disruption to communities is kept to a minimum," said Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove.