Convoy to crawl across Oldham

Photo: Anthony Miller

FUELLING fury . . . Dane Firth, of DP Firth Transport, is leading the petrol protest

DOZENS of lorries will crawl along Oldham’s roads in a mass protest against soaring fuel prices.

Anxious not to anger the public, and to encourage ordinary motorists to join in, organisers will stage the go-slow on a Saturday to cause minimum disruption.

The demonstration will take place on July 19 starting at 11am from the Moss Lane Industrial Estate.

The convoy will travel along Shaw Road into Oldham and head along the A627 bypass to the Elk Mill Centre Retail Park in Royton.

Truckers will then continue along Broadway, then Oldham Road through Failsworth and Hollinwood before returning to the bypass to finish at Mumps.

Oldham’s desperate hauliers say they are on the brink of going out of business and need to take action and alert the public.

Dane Firth, director of Royton’s DP Firth Transport, is rallying Oldham’s lorry firms. He says 10 companies have already agreed to take part.

He added: “It depends how many lorries each firm brings but we could be talking more than 100 vehicles. It will not disrupt as many people and they can come and join us.

“We are trying to get across the fact that the price of fuel is affecting the industry. There’s no excuse, the people that run this country have to do something about it and they can do something about it.”

The convoy will travel at 15mph and will be expected to only occupy one lane on the dual carriageway.

The average price for a litre of unleaded in Oldham is 117.5p and 131p for diesel, compared with a UK average of 119p for unleaded and 132.2p for diesel.

Mr Firth says fuel is now costing him more than £2,000 a month extra. Oldham’s HTF Transport says their bill is an extra £6,000 a month.

Police have given the green light to the protest despite problems with the recent go-slow protest by bikers on the M60 when officers issued warnings for anti-social driving.