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Protest threat over fuel prices Hauliers angered over fuel prices
(2 days later)
Fuel protests could take place in the coming weeks as unrest grows over rising prices, it has been claimed. Rising fuel prices are causing "frustration and anger" among hauliers, the Road Haulage Association has said.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the recent price increases were causing growing anger amongst its members. Prices have gone up every week for the past 12 weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, the association's director of policy, Jack Semple, said.
Prices have gone up every week for the past ten weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, it said. He described the impact as "quite severe" and criticised duty rates in Britain which he said were "much higher" than elsewhere in Europe.
Jack Semple, RHA Director of Policy said: "Our members are angry over the latest increases in fuel prices and the restarting of the fuel duty escalator." Fuel protests had been discussed, he added, but had won little support.
The impact of the price increases was "quite severe" for many hauliers, he said. However, Mr Semple warned that if prices continued to rise and hauliers became increasingly frustrated with government policy, protests could not be ruled out.
Mr Semple said that hauliers were "frustrated" by the high prices and added that duty rates were "much higher" in Britain than in other European countries. Oil prices 'volatile'
'Frustration and anger' "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability," he said.
He said: "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability." Fuel was "the biggest variable cost" for hauliers, he said, and it had "gone up every week for 12 weeks".
Mr Semple added: "For hauliers, fuel is the biggest variable cost, and it has gone up every week for ten weeks." "But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices," he added.
He said meetings had been held to discuss protests, but there was not yet the groundswell of support needed to go ahead. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly Geoff DossetterFreight Transport Association
"But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices." However, a spokesman for pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said he believed protest action would be taken.
A spokesman for the pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said they believed action would be taken imminently. "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it," he said.
He said: "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it." The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he added.
The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he said.
Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.
"But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly.""But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly."