Organisers of a "dump the pump" campaign in Britain suffered an embarrassing letdown yesterday when a day of protest aimed at forcing the government to cut fuel taxes failed to gain strong public support.
A planned blockade of the port of Dover by lorry drivers, which the Hauliers-Farmers Alliance hoped would attract 200 people, amounted only to a small protest group of six lorries and six cars. The chairman of the alliance, Mr Len Johnson, said he was disappointed with the turnout. "We just stopped at Dover and had a cup of tea," he said. "It sends out all the wrong signals to the government and makes them think hauliers don't mind paying the high taxes on fuel," he added.
The "dump the pump" campaign has been organised on the Internet by Mr Garry Russell, a businessman who says he is not attached to any political organisation.
The campaign has been taken up by the Sun, the Daily Mail and the Star newspapers, as well as by the Tories. It urges drivers to boycott petrol pumps and is expected to take place every Monday, Mr Russell says, until the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Gordon Brown, reduces petrol taxes by 2p per litre.
British drivers pay the highest price in Europe for petrol - up to 97 pence in some areas - and the government collects about 63 pence of the price in tax.
The government has defended the level of petrol duties, saying a 2p reduction represented £1bn sterling in spending which could be invested in public services such as schools and hospitals. The Conservative Party says if it were in power it would have room for tax reductions because it would not increase spending on public services faster than the country could afford.
Petrol retailers reported a small drop in sales during the protest. Texaco said some of its outlets were quieter than others, "but it isn't dreadfully quiet", a spokeswoman said. The director of the Petrol Retailers' Association, Mr Ray Holloway, said a survey of outlets showed the campaign was unsuccessful, although some outlets in the north of England reported a 50 per cent drop in sales.
The Hauliers-Farmers Alliance and the Petrol Retailers' Association blamed the low turnout on drivers stocking up on petrol ahead of the protest.