Britain faces the prospect of a fresh wave of fuel protests after campaigners and MPs condemned new tax rises that will see the price of petrol increase by more than 3p a litre this week.
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| Image: David Rose – Telegraph |
Patrick Sawer
Telegraph
A campaign group of farmers and hauliers which was behind the fuel blockades a decade ago has threatened new action against the rises, while a cross-party group of MPs has called for the Government to help motorists and essential road users by cutting fuel duty.
The Scottish and Welsh Assembly governments have also joined calls for a cut in duty.
On Saturday fuel duty rose by 0.76p a litre, while on Tuesday VAT will go up from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent.
The combination of both tax hikes will put around 3.5p on the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol, which had already hit a record high of 124.16p last week – more than 14 per cent on a year ago.
Diesel stood at an average of 128.35p a litre. Further increases in fuel duties are planned in April.
Farmers, road haulage operators and cab drivers have been holding meetings to discuss ways of reviving their campaign of direct action in the face of the record pump prices.
Proposals under discussion include a return to the tactics deployed in 2000 and 2005 when blockades and demonstrations at refineries caused widespread disruption and panic buying.
David Handley, a veteran of the earlier protests, said: “The cost of fuel which sparked the protests in 2000 pales in comparison to what it is now.”
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