Fuel protests causing serious disruption on roads across the country

Drivers taking part in go-slow convoys are causing ques on motorways across England, Wales and Scotland in protest over high petrol prices.

Organisers are calling for a cut to fuel duty to help people cope with the cost-of-living crisis, with serious traffic expected on roads throughout the day.

Protesters are driving in slowly moving convoys across two lanes on motorways, leaving the outside lane for overtaking.

Roads targeted include the M4 and Prince of Wales Bridge in Wales, the M5 in Devon, M32, A38, M180 in Lincolnshire, A12 in Essex and A92 in Scotland.

Parts of the M4 have been brought to standstill and the Prince of Wales Bridge was closed in the eastbound direction before being re-opened a few hours later.  

Gwent Police Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said: ‘We are seeing significant delays both east and westbound on the Prince of Wales Bridge due to the planned protest.

‘We are seeking to return traffic to normal as soon as possible. Please keep an eye on our social media channels for further updates throughout the day.’

Police in West Yorkshire reported that they had deployed a tyre deflation device at Ferrybridge service station earlier today, but it was ultimately not used.

West Yorkshire Police said: ‘West Yorkshire Police is negotiating with a small group of fuel price protestors at Ferrybridge motorway services regarding ways in which a peaceful, safe and lawful demonstration can be facilitated.

‘We acknowledge the importance of lawful protests but will deal swiftly with any criminal offences.

‘It is clear deliberate disruption of the network will inconvenience huge numbers of people, draw police resources away from other important work and potentially delay the response times of all emergency services.’

Fuel prices have reached record highs, with petrol prices 191p a litre on average and 199p for diesel, prices which will be reviewed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) this week.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 5p fuel duty cut in the spring statement, but there have been claims this has not been passed on by retailers.

Other nations experiencing high fuel prices have slashed prices to help citizens, with Germany cutting fuel duty by 25p per litre and the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain offering a 17p cut per litre.

In related news, nearly a quarter of UK adults (23%) found it difficult to pay their household bills in April compared to last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 

Photo by blende12 on Pixabay