Wednesday 27th April 2005

Fuel tax protest flickers into life

Blockade of petrol refinery fails to dent petrol supplies

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Too much tax for some

Welsh hauliers, furious at the lack of political attention being paid to fuel prices, yesterday staged a blockade outside the Total refinery in Milford Haven, and nearby Texaco refinery in Pembroke, while Farmers for Action members blockaded the Shell refinery in Stanlow, Cheshire.

The both protests broke up late last night, with the chairman of Farmers for Action David Handley saying that the idea was never to mirror the scenes of petrol pump queues and panic-buying from five years ago.

They are demanding some form of action, mainly to raise the profile of the fuel price -- and in particular, fuel duty -- issue. They want costs cut, whether by tax reduction or through Government pressure on oil companies and more promotion of bio-diesel, as farmers could then grow the raw ingredients.

West Wales Hauliers Association chairman Mike Green said he was still angry over the issue, saying that they "could have done with more support from the rest of the country", and that "this won't be the last protest we'll be carrying out."

There was no disruption to fuel supplies.

[RickH]

Yey, and so it begins.

I for one voted with my pen last week. The postal vote has been cast - just wish it would make a difference.

Rick