Fuel protesters to target London with ‘go slow’ after blocking motorways over soaring petrol costs
Campaigners plan to carry out a rolling road block in London later this month
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Your support makes all the difference.Fuel protesters who brought UK motorways to a halt on Monday are set to target London as petrol prices continue to soar.
Organised under the banner Fuel Price Stand Against Tax (FPSAT) the protesters carried out a rolling road block on the M4 towards the Prince of Wales Bridge and the M180 between Doncaster in South Yorkshire and Grimsby in Lincolnshire during the morning rush.
The protesters are now planning to cause traffic chaos in the capital by driving slowly on the morning of Friday 22 July.
Haulier Tariq Akram, who organised Monday’s protest, said he was suprised by how many people supported the movement.
“The public would continue for a mile or so and then get on their way,” he told the Daily Mail. “We will be hit by people who hate us, but the response we have had is more positive. People are saying thank you for doing it, and standing up for us.”
FPSAT campaigners kept one lane open to allow emergency services to pass and some traffic was able to trickle through.
But police said the demonstration was putting emergency services “at risk” and arrested 12 people.
Protests were also held on the M54 in Shropshire, near the Ferrybridge services in West Yorkshire, on the A64 in the York area, on the M180 near Scunthorpe, and on the A12 in Essex.
Sharon Downs from Pontypridd was among the protesters taking part on Monday.
“I’m disappointed more people haven’t come with us today but I think the price of fuel is sadly exactly why there’s not more here,” she said. “And needing to be at work.
“But something needs to be done about it. We need the tax on fuel to be brought down before this country is on its knees.
“We need more protests and we need more people to join in so our voices are heard, and the government know we won’t stand for it any more.”
Figures from data firm Experian show the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts reached a new high of 191.4p on Thursday, while diesel rose to 199.1p.
The former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said he would carefully consider calls for a “more substantial” fuel duty cut after the 5p per litre reduction implemented in March failed to halt price rises.
The government said while it understands people are struggling with rising prices and have a right to protest, “people’s day-to-day lives should not be disrupted” and warned that traffic delays “will only add to fuel use”.