Protestors jam motorways over rising fuel prices

Protestors have been driving extra slowly along stretches of motorway in England and Wales to draw attention to rising fuel prices.

The cost of fuel is important to lots of people, as the more fuel costs the more expensive it becomes to travel to places like work and school.

People taking part in the protest are saying the rise in the cost of petrol is unfair and are asking the government to do more to stop it.

But the rising cost of fuel is part of a larger problem that the UK is facing at the moment, with prices rising, making things more expensive.

Why has fuel become so much more expensive?

A road assistance company called the RAC has said the average cost of petrol is now 191.43p per litre, with diesel (a different kind of fuel) costing 199.05p per litre on average.

This means that many people are now struggling to fill up their vehicles with fuel because the cost is too great.

People who supply fuel are charging more because the demand has increased so much

One of the major reasons why the cost has gone up is because there has been an increase in the demand for fuel since the end of the pandemic.

Suppliers have been struggling to keep up with the demand.

Where have the protests been happening?

Protests have been taking place across England, Wales and Scotland.

This is causing serious disruption to other travellers who are not part of the protest, as the protestors' cars are driving so slowly.

Usually, cars are allowed to travel at 70 miles an hour along the motorway, but the protestors have been travelling at half those speeds or slower across all lanes of the motorway.

Protestors want the government to do more to reduce the cost of fuel, with some saying that taxes on fuel should be lowered.

What has the response been?

Police in south Wales have advised protestors to drive no slower than 30 miles per hour and have been told they are not allowed to stop on the motorway.

In the west of England, Bristol airport has asked travellers to allow extra time to get to the airport due to the protests.

And a UK government spokesperson has criticised the protest, saying: "While we respect the right to protest, people's day-to-day lives should not be disrupted, especially on busy motorways where lives are put at risk and resulting traffic delays will only add to fuel use."

But the person in charge of the UK's public spending, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, says that he will be considering a bigger cut in taxes on fuel.

Earlier this year he announced a reduction in tax on fuel by 5p a litre.