Truck drivers block Dublin Port lorries in tax protest

Truck drivers have blocked lorries from leaving Dublin Port in protest at higher road tax for trucks in the Republic of Ireland compared to the UK.

The Irish Road Haulage Association says it costs five times more to tax a six-axle truck registered in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland.

The drivers also protested against a £10 levy for entering the UK.

During the protest on Monday morning, which has now ended, trucks were blocked from leaving the port.

IRHA President Eoin Gavin said its members were dismayed that the Irish government had not addressed the differential in last week's budget.

The UK government's HGV Road User Levy began operating in April.

It means that trucks from the Republic of Ireland and other European countries have to pay between £85 and £1,000 a year to enter the UK.

The government said it was aimed at creating a level playing field, as UK truckers have to pay tolls on European roads.