Fuel protesters vow to return

Monday, December 17, 2007

Weekend protests fail to attract support
Nobody turns up at one protest point
Organisers vow they will be back

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Fuel price activists have vowed to launch larger, more disruptive demonstrations next month, after last weekend's protests failed to attract support.

Protests were planned at oil refineries across the UK, but they were poorly attended.

Figures compiled by the BBC suggest 25 protesters appeared in Southampton, Hampshire, one protester turned up in Purfleet, Essex and none at all picketed the Grangemouth refinery in central Scotland.

The protests were called by a group called Transaction 2007, which represents hauliers and farmers, after average fuel prices topped £1 a litre.

A spokesman for the group, David Handley, said: 'These protests were a warning shot to the Government. It's our intention to come back in January and, let's put it like this: it won't be quite as peaceful.'

In a separate protest, a convoy of 45 trucks organised by the Road Haulage Association drove across Scotland to highlight the issue of high petrol prices.