Poor support threatens British fuel protest

British protesters were today considering whether to end their action against fuel prices after failing to attract country-wide support.

Around 40 protesters at the Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock depots in Pembrokeshire, west Wales, were meeting to discuss whether to leave the scene of the week’s first demonstrations.

Forecourts were also quiet following an initial wave of panic buying in south and west Wales.

Hauliers and farmers were still gathered in Avonmouth in Bristol but have left a site in Cardiff. The depot in Stanlow, Cheshire, is quiet, following a one-night protest which ended on Saturday morning.

Protester Mike Greene, at the Texaco refinery in Pembroke Dock, where truckers had considered staying until the General Election, said he was angry and disappointed that they had been let down by the rest of Britain.

But Petrol Retailers Association Director Ray Holloway said most protesters had achieved what they wanted.

"They have withdrawn from some sites but they have undoubtedly achieved what they wanted.

"They did not want a repeat of last September’s protests. That can never be repeated.

"Public opinion was ready for those protests but since then we’ve had reduction in excise duty on petrol and the voting public think the issue is on the Government agenda.

"This time the protesters have just aimed to maintain the issue in the public domain, and that’s what they have done," he said.

Mr Holloway added that the panic buying in Wales had fizzled out.

"Outside Wales, a lot of service stations had a busy Saturday but it was not what we would call panic buying. There was panic buying in Wales, but that seems to have subsided now," he said.

A protester who had been at the Stanlow site also said the weekend of action had been a success.

Paul Ashley said: "For a bunch of locals we have proved we can do it. We have put fuel prices back on the Government list."

But Mr Greene said morale was low in Pembrokeshire: "We have had lots of support over here but the rest of the country has let us down badly.

"The morale has been very low here because the rest of the country is doing nothing at all.

"We were supposed to have support from all over the country. Everybody said they were going to join in but saying and doing something are two different things.

"Why should we stop these tankers taking the fuel out when the rest of the country has fuel? We are kicking ourselves in the teeth.

"Unless the rest of the country pulls their finger out we’re back home. After Thursday they are going to be sorry that they haven’t been out this weekend," he said.

Paul Reynolds, a protester who had just left Avonmouth, said around 45 people were still at the depot but would probably leave tonight to get back to work tomorrow.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said he believed there were still a few protesters at the Avonmouth Fuel depot.

Following their meeting, protesters at Pembrokeshire said they would stay at the depots for the time being but hold discussions to decide a course of action later this afternoon.