Roadblocks planned on M6 in West Midlands in protest at soaring fuel prices

Plans are in place to bring the M6 in Walsall 'to a standstill' today, while another protest is planned to take place on Monday, July 4 on the M6 Northbound at Junction 3.

Details on the exact time and location of the M6 Walsall protest haven't been confirmed and are expected to be finalised on the day.

On July 4, the rolling roadblock which has been organised by the 'Fuel Price Stand Against Tax Group' would see traffic halted to 30mph in lanes one and two of the M6 Northbound at Junction 3 and then back down Southbound.

The prices of petrol and diesel have continued to skyrocket to record highs, with the average price of both getting nearer to £2 per litre.

On Friday the first filling station in Staffordshire was spotted charging £2 per litre, with a Texaco garage in Cannock raising its diesel price to 205.9p.

The price of filling up an average 55-litre car is now well over £100 as the cost of living crisis continues to worsen.

There have been calls for the Government to intervene again, as the introduction of a fuel duty cut of 5p by Chancellor Rishi Sunak seems to have had little effect, so protests are being organised across the UK with three set to take place in the West Midlands.

The 'Fuel Price Stand Against Tax Group' posted in a message on social media: "Joining the M6 Jct 3 northbound at 6am on Monday July 4 and creating a 30mph rolling road lock in lanes 1&2 headed northbound for as far as we can get then back down southbound.

"We will be meeting at 5.30am at a location not far from Jct 3 to be confirmed 24 hours beforehand."

The protest will coincide with another taking place on the M54, where a Telford business owner is planning to bring the M54 carriageway at Shifnal Services to a standstill.

A Facebook group called 'Stand up to fuel prices UK wide' has organised the rolling roadblock on the same day, Monday July 4.

Andy Carloman runs Total Property Care and says in the last two weeks his weekly spend on fuel for one of the four vehicles the company runs has more than doubled from £100 for a full tank to £220.

Andy, who employs six workers, said: "In common with a lot of people we are calling on the Government to cut the fuel tax duty but because it is falling on deaf ears so I am calling on motorists in Shropshire to join with me in more direct action.

"I have owned a haulier business before and worked as a lorry driver and I know how hard it is to do that anyway with the cost of fuel generally, but in recent weeks that cost just for my company has doubled - I dread to think what they are for larger concerns.

"I have been in touch with business owners nationwide and they are all having the same problems - I know protests are planned on the A12 in Essex, the M25 and nationwide including in Manchester and Durham.

"Everything will be done peacefully and we are going to notify the authorities about the protest, at the moment we have over 100 vehicles signed up and that is a mixture of lorries, vans, other commercial vehicles and car owners."