Hauliers drive home fuel protest

Drivers said they stuck to about 20mph

Hauliers from across the north of England joined a fuel protest which snaked its way along one of England's busiest stretches of motorway.

Drivers and owner/operators joined the protest convoy along the M62 in West Yorkshire between Normanton, east of Leeds and Bradford.

Organiser John Hourigan said about 170 wagons were in the convoy which he said was some 10 miles in length.

Police said they had been "closely monitoring" the situation.

'Peaceful protest'

Before the protest, a police spokesman said comprehensive plans were in place "to minimise disruption, ensure public safety and deal effectively with any potential problems".

"Our primary aim is to ensure the continued free flow of traffic on the motorway while allowing lawful, peaceful protest to go ahead," said the spokesman.

"Anyone found breaking the law will face prosecution."

The protest organisers said their fuel bills had risen by thousands of pounds over the last six months.

Mr Hourigan, who runs Allied Plant, an excavation and plant hire business, said his firm's diesel costs had risen by £96,000 in the last six months.

Users' rebate

"We're facing a double whammy, there's the rising cost of fuel and a downturn in the construction industry which means there's a lack of work anyway.

"We're just asking for an essential users' rebate.

"We're not in the business of causing Joe Bloggs trouble on the roads, but these costs are just continuing to rise."

Wagon operator Rob Sweeting said his fuel costs had risen by £10,000 per month.

Both men said that while some of their machines worked solely off-road and were therefore allowed to run on "red diesel", which carries a reduced tax rate, the costs were still increasing, hitting their margins.

Mr Sweeting said the drivers stuck to about 20mph.