Protesters who plan to shut lanes of the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge in a demonstration against rising fuel prices have said the protest will go ahead. Campaigners say they plan to take to the bridge on Monday from 7am until 7pm with banners calling for more government action on high petrol and diesel prices across the country.
The protesters say they intend to shut lanes two and three of the M4 bridge both eastbound and westbound with one lane open for all other traffic. Gwent Police said the force has liaised with protesters and it has become apparent organisers are intent on going ahead with the event.
Ongoing bridge repair works at the M48 bridge could make for traffic chaos on the day for those travelling either side of the border. Demonstrators originally planned to close the M48 bridge on the same day, but following discussion with the police this will now not go ahead. The Severn Tunnel is also set to be closed for more than a week from July 1 for maintenance to the railway, affecting trains between south Wales and London.
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Since WalesOnline first revealed plans for the protest against rising fuel prices earlier this month, the national picture has worsened. Fuel prices in Wales are continuing to rise with some motorists being charged nearly 209p per litre for fuel. Pictures from Pont Abraham services in Carmarthenshire this week show that petrol is 206.9p per litre for petrol and 208.9p for diesel.
While posts relating to the event received tens of thousands of shares on social media, it is unknown how many protesters will show up on the bridge on Monday. Organisers said some will carry banners with the slogan: “Don’t get shafted by the pump.” A social media group used to organise the protest has 92 members, but some in the group say they became members to stay updated on expected traffic issues and are not expected to attend.
Police have told protesters banners must be tightly secured to vehicles and nobody should be walking around on the bridge during the demonstration. Protesters will stay inside their vehicles or stand beside them.
An organiser said: "We will now only be doing it on the Prince of Wales Bridge. We have to keep in mind everyone's safety and if we block the bridge totally and there is an emergency there would be hell. Yes it means only one bridge but [due to the amount of traffic caused] there will still be a massive impact."
A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "We are aware of a potential protest and are currently working with neighbouring police forces and partner agencies to try and minimise any potential impact. We are seeking to engage with organisers to understand their intentions and will issue further information before any protest takes place to ensure our communities are fully aware."
It is not the only planned road protest against rising fuel prices in the UK. Various others are being organised through the 47,000-strong Facebook community group Fuel Price Stand Against Tax.
Two weeks ago one of the initial M4 bridge protest organisers Ashley Fowler said : “We’re all car enthusiasts and we have all been worried about fuel prices and when I saw the post about blocking the bridges we began talking about it. Then people started asking me to make an event so we could update each other.
“I made the event because I run a car club in Cardiff which I started on social media during the pandemic lockdowns to help people’s mental health. When we can we go out to car parks and just meet up and have a chat but during the pandemic we weren’t able to do it so I made the group.
“Now we can’t meet up so much again because of the cost of fuel. I know some of them can’t drive so much because they need to feed their kids. It’s serious. People are getting really depressed about it. One of the boys in the group has actually sold his car due to fuel price rises.”
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