Bristol fuel protests: Price hikes 'impossible', says protester

A convoy moved north up the M5 from Bridgwater to Bristol

A protestor has described how rising fuel prices have made life "impossible" for ordinary people.

Wayne Andrews, from Bridgwater, was one of the many protesters who targeted motorways in a demonstration, which has now ended.

Slow-moving traffic caused disruption for motorists on the M4 and M5 in the West of England and Wales.

Gwent Police arrested 12 protestors for driving at under 30mph (50km/h) in an attempt to cause disruption.

The government said while it understood people were struggling with rising prices and have a right to protest, "people's day-to-day lives should not be disrupted" and warned traffic delays "will only add to fuel use".

Mr Andrews was one of the protesters who drove in one of the series of convoys on motorways across the region.

"I work up to 56 hours a week, and the cost of living crisis combined with the rising costs of fuel is making me feel like a slave," he said.

Mr Andrews is calling for the government to do more about rising fuel prices

"I am losing so much money to fuel costs, and I took part today to stand up against the politicians who don't seem to understand what it's like for ordinary people."

The protests are understood to have been organised via social media under the banner Fuel Price Stand Against Tax and started shortly after 07:00 BST.

Routes that were affected included the Prince of Wales bridge between England and Wales, the M5 from Somerset to Bristol and the M32.

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The Prince of Wales Bridge was near empty as vehicles took part in a go-slow protest on the M4

Avon and Somerset Police said all protests have now finished and that their policing operation is being stood down.

"Liaison teams engaged with campaigners to enable peaceful protests to take place in a way that minimised disruption," said Supt Paul Wigginton.

"We'd like to thank the public for their patience during any delays they experienced today."

The force said there have been no arrests in relation to the protest that started in Bridgwater.

Protester, Freda, described how rising fuel costs have got in the way of her seeing family and friends.

Freda took part in the convey which began in Bridgwater

"As a retired woman, I need to afford to get around to see people and I intend to continue doing this," she said.

"I want to make people aware that we need to stand against the rise in fuel costs and that the government have the power to stop it."

The protests come as the latest figures from Experian show the average price of petrol reached a new high of 191.5p per litre on Sunday, while the average price of diesel was 199.0p per litre.