UK motorists to protest soaring fuel prices by blocking roads to Stanlow refinery

So far, nearly 170 motorists in the UK have reportedly signed up for the "go-slow" on two roads leading out of the Stanlow Refinery in Cheshire, England. A total of five routes are expected to be partially blockaded in a seven-day protest over soaring fuel prices in the UK, according to Reuters. Protest organizers have vowed to slow down all deliveries to Stanlow beginning on May 8th.

The protest is billed as an "anti-fuel tax pincer movement" by spokesman Ian Charlesworth of the Stanlow Fuel Protest and Direct Action Group. Charlesworth says that the "go-slow" will "clog up" major roadways as vehicles involved in the protest are expected to maintain speeds of less than 20 miles per hour. Charlesworth told the Ellesmere Port Pioneer:

This is not just a protest from a few lorry drivers. The demonstration is a union of all the people in Britain who feel the full effect of fuel taxes on a daily basis. Farmers will come out in their tractors, long-distance drivers in their lorries and motorcyclists on their bikes. The coalition Government will have no choice but to sit up and listen to our message. Driving in this country is becoming a near impossibility.

The "go-slow" is being hailed as the largest in the north of England since 2008. Stanlow Refinery supposedly has the capability to process up to 296,000 barrels of crude oil per day. However, when protesters maneuver into position around the refinery, no one's making any predictions on that number.

[Source: Reuters, Ellesmere Port Pioneer | Image: renaissancechambara – C.C. License 2.0]