Thousands of vehicles are set to cause chaos on the A1 today as drivers take a stand against soaring fuel costs.
Organisers expect around 2,000 HGVs, taxis, and even ice cream trucks to be among the vehicles taking part in the 'go slow' protest. It will see the convoy drive at around 30mph on the A1 to cause disruption during Friday rush hour.
Drivers will set off from Stannington Services at 3.30pm heading towards Wetherby Services where they will meet another convoy of protesting vehicles heading up in the opposite direction before turning back.
Jay Garside, 45, from Newcastle, is the founder of car enthusiast group, Summer Madness, which organised the demonstration to highlight the issue and call on the Government to act. It comes as the RAC reports that the average cost of filling a 55-litre family car has now passed the £100 mark as a result of rising prices.
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"The members of Summer Madness said that once fuel hit £2 a litre it was time to stand up and do something about it," he said.
"The fact that out of that £2 a litre that you are buying is going to the Government and fuel tax that is what has got us [to this point] where we are not prepared to accept it.
"We are taxed on our wages, we get taxed on everything we buy in the shops, we get tax on fuel that we use in our cars to go to the shops and we pay road tax."
Jay hit back at critics of the 'go slow' protest who have said the drivers will be contradicting themselves by wasting fuel.
"We argue that is a sacrifice for the greater good because if that waste of fuel does have an impact and triggers other protests up and down the country - which it is - then the Government is going to have to sit up and take notice," he said.
"They are going to have to reduce fuel tax one way or another because everybody is going to keep on protesting until they do."
He continued: "We did this as a group of car enthusiasts but it turns out that every single person or business that is affected by the fuel crisis and the cost of living, in general, have also got their backs up as well and want to do something about it. People are standing together.
"I would like to thank everybody for their support and thank All Things Fun balloons and fancy dress in Peterlee who provided blue ribbons for the cars."
Here are the estimated times for the protest along the A1:
- Stannington 3.30pm
- Seaton Burn - 3.45pm
- Great Park - 4pm
- Fawdon/Kingston Park - 4.15pm
- Westerhope/West Denton - 4.30pm
- Blaydon/Metrocentre - 4.45pm
- Dunston/Gateshead - 5pm
- Team Valley - 5.15pm
- Washington services 5.30pm
- Chester-le-Street - 5.45pm
- A690 - 6pm
- Durham services - 6.15pm
- A689 - 6.30pm
- A167 Darlington - 6.45pm
- Catterick - 7pm
- Londonderry - 7.15pm
- Boroughbridge - 7.30pm
- Wetherby services - 7.45/8pm
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