Hauliers rekindle fuel protests

Truckers formed a convoy in Carmarthenshire

Hauliers have resumed demonstrations outside two oil refineries in Pembrokeshire, west Wales, in protest at the price of fuel.

The protesters are planning to stop all non-emergency fuel coming out of the refineries at Pembroke and Milford Haven.

More than 70 vehicles including lorries, buses, taxis and cars travelled in convoy from Cross Hands in Camarthenshire.

The protest in September caused gridlock

The demonstrators, many of whom took part in fuel protests last September, said they wanted to keep up the pressure on political parties in the run up to next week's general election.

The two targeted refineries in Pembrokeshire, send out almost all of their fuel by pipeline - meaning this protest should have little impact on the supply of fuel to petrol stations and businesses.

Queues

Nonetheless, long queues began to build up outside several petrol stations in south Wales on Friday - even though the demonstrators are expected to give up their protest after the weekend.

Meanwhile around 100 fuel protesters - some of them from north Wales - are converging on the Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire - the place where last year's demonstrations began.

The protesters claim that haulage firms "are going to the wall" because the high price of fuel means they are unable to compete with their European counterparts.

The nationwide protests last September had a crippling effect on the country when hauliers and farmers blockaded oil refineries.

Convoy

Protesters had warned then that they intended to step up their campaign for a reduction in fuel taxes in the run up to a general election.

Just over two weeks ago, a series of peaceful demonstrations were held at oil refineries across the UK - two in Essex, one in Warwickshire and one at Avonmouth, near Bristol.

In the last Budget the government took 2p off a litre of ultra low sulphur petrol, and 3p off ultra low sulphur diesel.

They also reduced road tax for hauliers.

Haulier Phil Rees: "Problem still there"

But on Friday the Pembrokeshire protesters said these measures did not go far enough and with less than a week to go until the election, they want to get the price of fuel back on the political agenda.

"We've still got to keep it in the public eye," said haulier Phil Rees at Cross Hands.

"The problem with the tax on fuel has still not gone away. We had a slight reduction which has probably been undermined by the price of oil going up."

During last September's protests, car manufacturers came within a week of shutdown, according to government sources.

Defence and aerospace industries were also within a week of "serious problems" and steel makers had been on the brink of a 40% reduction in output.