Fuel protesters return to A12 in Essex

The A12 in Essex where fuel protests have taken place again

Protesters opposed to fuel costs have been back on the A12 in Essex.

A small number of vehicles started travelling slowly northbound between Kelvedon and Marks Tey during the morning rush hour, police said.

The six cars used one lane for the protest about fuel prices, while other lanes stayed open.

Supt Richard Melton, from Essex Police, said officers had been monitoring the situation "closely", but added there had been "minimum disruption".

He said: "We understand that people have the right to peacefully protest, but we will not allow anyone to impact the livelihoods of others or put other road users at risk.

"Despite this being a time of high traffic, officers have successfully engaged with the drivers of the vehicles and they are causing minimum disruption.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and our policing operation is in place to limit disruption to wider road users."

The latest protest started at about 07:00 BST, with reports some motorists had been shouting abuse at the people involved.

The disruption followed a UK-wide protest last week about rising fuel prices. In Essex, about 20 vehicles slowly headed southbound on the A12 from Colchester United's stadium.