The organisers claim the chaos will continue until the Government slashes the cost of fuel Sunday May 1,2011 FUEL price protesters are plotting to bring Britain to a halt next weekend by blockading oil refineries around the country. The motorway network could be brought to a standstill as lorry drivers, farmers and members of the public stage go-slow demonstrations. The organisers claim the chaos will continue until the Government slashes the cost of fuelby 24p per litre, to bring it in line with prices across Europe. Construction firm boss Ian Charlesworth, one of the leaders of the protest, said: “We have had enough of the Government and the way we are being treated. They are not listening to us. “We are not going to be ignored any longer, we are prepared to disrupt the fuel supply of this country if needed. The Government is going to have a major headache and this will lead to a fuel crisis in Britain.” The protests will begin on Sunday, May 8, with a blockade of the Stanlow oil refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Activists are also using the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter to organise copycat protests at other locations. Mr Charlesworth, 47, from Hawarden, Flintshire, said: “I know that the general public is sick and tired of the situation, when every day another penny goes on the price of fuel. The Government will have no choice but to sit up and listen. Driving in this country is becoming a near impossibility.” However, the planned protests came under attack last night from the Road Haulage Association, the trade group which represents 7,000 haulage firms across the UK. Spokeswoman Kate Gibbs said: “We understand completely why people want to protest about fuel prices, but believe there are better ways of doing it than causing disruption to the general public. “We would prefer it if people just kept pestering their MP to demand a further cut in fuel duty. Dialogue is better for everyone than disruption.” Diesel is now selling for just under £1.52 a litre in some parts of the country and unleaded petrol costs as much as £1.42, according to the fuel monitot website PetrolPrices.com. The protesters warned last night that next weekend’s blockades would be bigger than the fuel protests in 2000 which also started in Stanlow and spread throughout Britain, leading to fuel shortages on garage forecourts.
FUEL PROTESTS WILL BRING CHAOS TO UK
By David Paul
Monday, 2 May 2011
Posts
