Van Drivers Protesting Due to Van Insurance and Petrol Prices Rising

The cost of petrol now averages 114p per litre and diesel 126p per litre - an unwanted hike in addition to van insurance and road tax prices. The rising cost of fuel in the UK was yesterday protested by van and lorry drivers. Disgruntled drivers in the south of England headed to Marble Arch in convoys in order to express their dissatisfaction at increases across the industry. Organisers TransAction 2007 welcomed around 300 vehicles to an A40 protest, with a further 100 reported in Wales, according to Times Online. “We are not faceless multinational companies - we are small and medium family companies built up over generations with hard work and determination,” read a letter from the group to Gordon Brown. Meanwhile, French president Nicholas Sarkozy has stated that a Europe-wide cut in VAT would bring down the cost of fuel across the continent About 65 vehicles converged in Park Lane in protest at a 30% rise in diesel pump prices in 12 months. The organisers presented a coffin to the Houses of Parliament to represent hundreds of haulage firms they claim have gone bankrupt as a result. It follows a 48-hour strike at Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland in a dispute over pension changes. Tuesday’s protest has been organised by TransAction 2007, one of the groups behind fuel protests in 2000 which caused 90% of petrol stations to run dry. The convoy started off in Kent and headed up M2 motorway into the capital. Organisers said fuel for a typical articulated lorry now costs up to £1,000 per week. The problem was exacerbated by foreign hauliers who arrive in the UK “full to the brim with cheaper fuel”, spokesman Mike Presneill said.