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ITN
Fuel protest continues
Fuel protest continues
Hundreds of hauliers will try to put more pressure on MPs over record-high fuel prices when they bring lorries to London in a mass protest.Police-controlled convoys will travel into the heart of the capital while some drivers lobby Parliament on foot.For the first time in protests in London this year, the freight company drivers will be joined by members of the Road Haulage Association (RHA).Trucks from all over the country are expected at the demonstration, with lorries lining a closed-off section of the A40 Westway in west London.Police motorcyclists will then lead groups of lorries into central London on a route which will include Westminster Bridge.RHA national chairman Andy Boyle said: "I am absolutely delighted that so many sections of the UK transport industry have united in such a positive way. If ever there was positive proof that ours is an industry in crisis then this surely must be it."The harsh reality is that the price of fuel is now forcing many hauliers out of business. For many, today will represent a last-ditch attempt at making their voice heard. It is therefore absolutely vital that Government not only listens to us but takes urgent action. For those present, whether they be hauliers or members of Parliament, doing nothing is no longer an option".A spokesman for the Transaction pressure group, Peter Carroll, said: "Our industry is being driven out of business. Continental hauliers are able to run in the UK using cheaper fuel from abroad. The Government needs to realise that the surge in oil prices has changed the world."It is madness to insist on charging the highest level of fuel duty in the EU on top of a world price that has rocketed. If nothing is done, thousands of UK hauliers will go bust. We have sound and effective proposals to solve this problem. The Government needs to talk to us and to listen to us."
ITN | July 2, 2008
