Drivers gear up for fuel protest

ANGRY truckers are getting all revved-up for their mass protest against soaring fuel prices tomorrow.

Fuming Oldham hauliers say they are on the brink of going out of business and desperately need to take action — and alert the public.

Their go-slow through the town centre takes place at the same time as one Oldhamer leads a separate convoy down to London.

Carl Rea, from Royton, began his one-man mission three months ago but will now be joined by hundreds of vehicles into the capital, after a rallying call to disgruntled motorists through a fuel and tax protest website he set up.

Mr Rea, who hopes to deliver a letter to Downing Street as part of the London trip, added: “I’m just an ordinary member of the public who’s disgruntled at the amount of tax we are paying on fuel — it’s absolutely shocking.”

The police have raised no objections to the Oldham go-slow, which will see dozens of lorries and other vehicles crawl around the borough. But organisers need to confirm the exact starting point, likely to be Lees Road.

The convoy begins at 11am and will head through Mumps and along the A627 bypass to the Elk Mill Centre Retail Park. It will continue along Broadway and up Oldham Road through Failsworth and Hollinwood before returning to the bypass to finish at Mumps.

The protest has been organised on a Saturday to cause minimum disruption to the public and allow ordinary motorists to join in.

Dane Firth, director of Royton’s DP Firth Transport, said: “There’s going to be up to 70 trucks as well as other vehicles. The first stretch of the Oldham bypass will be end to end with trucks.”

Further protests are expected in Manchester and Bristol.

The average price for a litre of unleaded in Oldham is 118.4p and 131.9p for diesel. This compares with a UK average of 119.5p for unleaded and 133.1p for diesel.