Protesters Planning To Block Major UK Road Over Rising Fuel Costs

Rising fuel costs have caused protesters to hatch a plan involving blocking a major UK road.

The A465 runs from Herefordshire in England to near Swansea in Wales and police are today expecting a demonstration to block it off.

Gwent Police said they are aware of plans for a number of protesters to block part of the road and get their message across.

Demonstrators are reportedly planning to block part of the A465 at Brynmawr, which is near the halfway point on the major road.

Drivers have been advised to seek alternative routes around the protests, while they have warned motorists that anyone committing a road traffic offence will be prosecuted.

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Superintendent Mike Richards told ITV the police 'have a responsibility to facilitate peaceful protests' but warned that it was 'unlawful' to block off roads and cause major disruption to businesses and communities.

In some parts of Wales the price of petrol has hit £2 per litre, piling further pressure on commuters who rely on their cars and businesses which use vans and lorries to haul goods around.

While the government has tried to lower the cost of petrol at the pump by lowering fuel duty by 5p per litre, this has not stopped costs rising to record breaking levels that further intensify the cost of living crisis.

According to the BBC, a row has broken out between petrol stations and the government over accusations that the forecourts aren't passing on reduced prices to the consumer.

The Petrol Retailers Association claimed they had been 'unfairly scapegoated' by the government and insisted petrol stations were working on 'razor thin margins' due to the overall price of petrol going up.

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A report from the Competition and Markets Authority is currently looking into whether the fuel duty cut was passed onto the public and is due to report back findings on 7 July.

A major reason behind skyrocketing petrol prices is Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as many countries have imposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin's aggressive regime as a consequence.

Russia is a major exporter of oil and sanctioning them means other countries are having to turn elsewhere for oil supplies, pushing the prices of the more in-demand oil up further.

Other protests against the extortionately high prices of fuel are in the pipeline, with a planned closure of the M4 and M48 bridges over the River Severn scheduled for 4 July.