Protest threat over fuel prices possible

Prices have risen for ten consecutive weeks

Fuel protests could take place in the coming weeks as unrest grows over rising prices, it has been claimed.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the recent price increases were causing growing anger amongst its members.

Prices have gone up every week for the past ten weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, it said.

Jack Semple, RHA Director of Policy said: "Our members are angry over the latest increases in fuel prices and the restarting of the fuel duty escalator."

The impact of the price increases was "quite severe" for many hauliers, he said.

Mr Semple said that hauliers were "frustrated" by the high prices and added that duty rates were "much higher" in Britain than in other European countries.

'Frustration and anger'

He said: "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability."

Mr Semple added: "For hauliers, fuel is the biggest variable cost, and it has gone up every week for ten weeks."

He said meetings had been held to discuss protests, but there was not yet the groundswell of support needed to go ahead.

"But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices."

A spokesman for the pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said they believed action would be taken imminently.

He said: "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it."

The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he said.

Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.

"But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly."

BBC

Question

Does this type of action achieve anything except to cause inconvenience to the other road users. Is it likely to result in the government lowering duties on fuel?