UK haulers protest fuel prices

2008-05-27 16:12

Jeremy Lovell

London - Convoys of trucks converged on London on Tuesday in a protest by British road haulers over rocketing fuel prices that they say have pushed up their fuel bill by almost half in the past year.

Haulage firms launched the protest as members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party, fearful after dismal electoral results, called for a rethink of plans for fuel and road tax increases due later this year.

Haulers say the sharp rise in fuel costs has put many of their businesses at risk and added to inflationary pressures as the rising costs trickle down into the prices of goods in shops.

They are seeking special government subsidies. Britain levies the highest fuel duty in Europe with nearly 65% of the pump price of petrol due to tax.

"It is really bad. It is affecting all of us," Joe Cook, a spokesperson for the UK road haulers, which organised the London protest, said. "It is going up everyday and we just can't cope."

Traffic chaos

The protests, which are expected to cause traffic chaos in and around London with road closures and go-slows, stirred memories of fuel demonstrations in 2000 when prices hit one pound a litre.

The haulers are calling on the government to give them a fuel rebate as essential users to keep the country moving.

"The fuel duty gap was important in 2001 and is even more pressing now, with the UK awash with foreign trucks using low-taxed diesel. We urgently need to look afresh at this issue," the head of the Road Haulage Association wrote in a letter to the Treasury.

"Feelings are running high. We need the government to recognise publicly the industry's plight and engage in a dialogue leading to action."

Organisers said they expected up to 1 000 trucks to take part in the London protest which will culminate in a petition being handed in to Brown's Downing Street office.

- Reuters