Hauliers in Craven, who say they've been hit hard by Budget increases in fuel and road tax prices, are organising a public meeting to highlight their plight.

And they joined in a national protest today by attaching placards to their vehicles expressing their opposition to the moves.

The M1, M2, M4 and M25 were all jammed with trucks as protesters headed for central London. Drivers were also moving towards Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Truro and Plymouth.

Organisers of the public meeting in Skipton, due to be held within the next month at the Auction Mart, hope taxi drivers, coach companies and other road users will attend.

Skipton MP David Curry is expected to be there as well as representatives of the Road Haulage Association.

Vi Watkinson, of Embsay, whose family are self-employed hauliers, was so angry about the situation she confronted Tory leader, William Hague when he visited the village recently.

She told him that the industry is being crippled and that there was no profit in it any more.

"Most are one-man bands and have got to try to absorb the increases themselves," she said. "They have no way of passing on the increases because they work for themselves and all of them are losing money each week just to be able to carry on working."

She added that the new minimum wage legislation, which gives people over 18 a minimum hourly rate of £3.60, was 'laughable'. "Most of the self employed haulage contractors will now be getting a lot less than that because they are having to pay out to keep on going,'' she added.

Ken Longthorne, of Hebden, said he now has to pay out £7,000 more per month in increased fuel and road tax. And for those with a single vehicle like Michael Riley Transport, of Skipton, just a 1p per litre increase on diesel makes a £500 increase to his expenditure each year.

One idea to be raised at the meeting is the possibility of introducing a special coloured diesel for hauliers to use at a reduced duty. This would work on the same principle as farm machinery which uses red diesel and which costs around 17p per litre compared to around 70p for normal diesel.

Currently the Government receives 86p in the pound for all the diesel which is bought and road hauliers pay exactly the same price as domestic users at the pumps. For more details about the meeting phone or fax on 01756 799874.

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