Ministers are preparing for a fresh confrontation with the road haulage industry as the £5 gallon of petrol became a reality at the pumps yesterday.

Fuel protests returned as hauliers demanded help from oil companies and the Treasury, which is raking in huge surpluses from record petrol prices. The cost of filling an average car could reach £84 next year, one consumer body will say today. Air passengers are also being hit as British Airways announced that it was slapping new fuel surcharges on all tickets from Friday to offset the escalating cost of fuel. Long-haul passengers can expect an extra £30 surcharge.


About 250 lorries caused disruption in Central London, evoking memories of the refinery blockades of September 2000. Further protests are to be staged by hauliers and farmers around the country as campaigners try to keep the issue in the public eye.

A spokesman for Transaction-2007, which organised yesterday’s protest, said: “Any further rise in cost of fuel will be an obvious trigger. We need to keep the issue alive and win support from ordinary motorists who are also being hit by higher fuel bills.”