BBC's Simon Montague: "Frustration has been growing since the Budget in March"

Hauliers are responsible for chaos on the M6 motorway in the West Midlands where they are blocking two carriageways.

It is a similar story in central London, where a convoy of lorries travelling from Kent drove through the West End before coming to a halt on busy Park Lane.

The snarl ups were compounded by a serious accident in Gloucestershire when a lorry hit a bridge near Tewkesbury, killing the driver. A 15-mile stretch of the M5 was closed to early morning commuters.

Drivers drove slowly along motoways

The lorry drivers' action is in protest at the level of duty imposed on diesel in Britain. Truckers say cheaper diesel on the continent is helping foreign competitors capture their business.

A new protest group, called Trans-Action, is responsible for co-ordinating the direct action, which until now has been largely synonymous with French truck drivers.

Drivers are angry that duty on diesel went up 5.5p in the last budget, making the average cost of filling up a heavy goods vehicle in Britain £650. In France the price is about £450 and in Luxembourg, £350.

Ron Wood: "The protest is to hilight our plight"

Ron Wood of Trans-Action said the action was necessary to bring the hauliers' "plight" to the attention of the public.

The fact that the "pound is so strong and exports are at a minimum" coupled with low diesel prices abroad was attracting foreign hauliers who could then get a return load home.

But the disruption has not been welcomed by all sides in the business. A spokesman for the Road Haulage Association said: "Although we agree totally with the hauliers, we do not think this sort of action will win them any sympathy from the public or politicians."

Andrew Bomford reports for BBC Breakfast News from Park Lane, in London

A total of around 160 lorries were said to be taking part in the West Midlands.

Many are causing chaos on the M6, the main motorway through the region, by driving as slow as 30mph while occupying two lanes of the northbound carriageway. Drivers have been warned to avoid the area.