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A new era of fuel protests gridlocking cities is on the cards with tax rises adding 3p per litre to the price of petrol.
Campaigners say haulage firms and private drivers will not take the increase lying down. They claim protests could bring the country to a standstill as they did a decade ago.
A cross-party group of MPs has also demanded fuel duty be cut, not put up.
Fuel duty has gone up by 0.76p a litre, and VAT has increased from 17.5% to 20%, adding to drivers' woes.
Together, they will mean about 3.5p per litre. Petrol is already at a record price, having reached 124.16p. That is up one seventh on this time last year.
Fuel duty to rise again in April
And it won't get any better for drivers. In April fuel duty will rise again and the long-term prospects for oil prices are not good – further tensions with Russia and possible war with Iran will mean petrol could become scarcer.
Ten years ago farmers and haulage firms joined forces to deliberately gridlock roads, causing food and fuel shortages that were even blamed for deaths in hospitals.
Now they have come together again to talk of restarting their action.
David Handley, who was involved in those protests, told The Daily Telegraph: "The cost of fuel which sparked the protests in 2000 pales in comparison to what it is now."
The Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, David Morris, has signed an early day motion in the House of Commons which says: "Fuel price reductions will help the economy and give much needed respite to the hard-pressed haulage industry."
He added: "Something needs to be done to kick start the economy and cutting fuel duty would be one measure that would help."
'Fuel duty has to be reduced'
Kate Gibbs, director of communications for the Road Haulage Association, said: "We are seeing the price of fuel rocketing to unprecedented levels and there's a limit to how long these increases in duty can be borne by the road haulage industry.
"Fuel duty has to be reduced not increased, in order to go some way towards giving us a level playing field with the rest of Europe, who pay far lower costs."
The government has said that fuel duty is 10% lower in real terms than in 2000 and that hauliers can reclaim VAT paid on fuel.
Campaigners say haulage firms and private drivers will not take the increase lying down. They claim protests could bring the country to a standstill as they did a decade ago.
A cross-party group of MPs has also demanded fuel duty be cut, not put up.
Fuel duty has gone up by 0.76p a litre, and VAT has increased from 17.5% to 20%, adding to drivers' woes.
Together, they will mean about 3.5p per litre. Petrol is already at a record price, having reached 124.16p. That is up one seventh on this time last year.
Fuel duty to rise again in April
And it won't get any better for drivers. In April fuel duty will rise again and the long-term prospects for oil prices are not good – further tensions with Russia and possible war with Iran will mean petrol could become scarcer.
Ten years ago farmers and haulage firms joined forces to deliberately gridlock roads, causing food and fuel shortages that were even blamed for deaths in hospitals.
Now they have come together again to talk of restarting their action.
David Handley, who was involved in those protests, told The Daily Telegraph: "The cost of fuel which sparked the protests in 2000 pales in comparison to what it is now."
The Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, David Morris, has signed an early day motion in the House of Commons which says: "Fuel price reductions will help the economy and give much needed respite to the hard-pressed haulage industry."
He added: "Something needs to be done to kick start the economy and cutting fuel duty would be one measure that would help."
'Fuel duty has to be reduced'
Kate Gibbs, director of communications for the Road Haulage Association, said: "We are seeing the price of fuel rocketing to unprecedented levels and there's a limit to how long these increases in duty can be borne by the road haulage industry.
"Fuel duty has to be reduced not increased, in order to go some way towards giving us a level playing field with the rest of Europe, who pay far lower costs."
The government has said that fuel duty is 10% lower in real terms than in 2000 and that hauliers can reclaim VAT paid on fuel.
