Where are fuel protests near Manchester today? M4, M5, M32, A38 are affected - as protestors cause delays

Fuel protests are taking place across the UK today causing disruption to major roads nationwide.

Protests are planned to take place in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Manchester.

According to the RAC around 18.8 million getaways will get underway in the UK between Friday and Monday as schools break up for the summer holidays.

So, how will the protests affect Manchester?

Here’s everything you need to know about the action.

What group is behind the protests?

The Facebook group Fuel Price Stand Against Tax organised the protests.

The group that has around 56,000 members, shared a post suggesting that activists will gather throughout the nation to make their voices heard.

What is the average price of petrol in the UK?

According to confused.com, as of Thursday 21 July, the average price of petrol in the UK was 187.5p.

The average price of diesel in the UK was 196.3p.

Why are people protesting?

The protests taking place today (Friday 22 July) are against the record high prices for fuel amid the cost of living crisis which has put millions across the nation under financial pressure.

The RAC declared the issue a dark day for drivers when a 55 litre tank cost over £100 to fill at the start of june.

Why did fuel prices rise?

Fuel prices were already on an upward trend in late february, however prices continued to rise when the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened.

The UK began phasing out Russian oil shortly after the invasion and EU leaders have said they will block most Russian oil imports come the end of 2022 with the United States also following suit.

Fuel prices went up due to the price of crude oil, which is used to make petrol, and increased significantly.

The demand for energy increased significantly as the world came out of the coronavirus pandemic and were able to travel more locally.

Where are the protests happening in Manchester?

The RAC reported that the following roads to watch for delays:

• M5 that could be affected and filter through to Birmingham traffic is southbound Junction 15 Almondsbury Interchange to Junction 23
• M25 anticlockwise Junction 4 Bromley to Dartford
• M4 eastbound Junction 30 Cardiff East to Junction 24 for the A449 Monmouth
• M25 anticlockwise Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for the M3
• A303 westbound past Stonehenge
• M25 clockwise Junction 7 M23 to Junction 16 for the M40
• M25 anticlockwise Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for the M3

Manchester has also been named as one of the expected locations for protests.

ManchesterWorld has contacted organisers for further details on which local roads are expected.

Is fuel expected to drop in the coming weeks?

The AA has suggested that the cost of filling up a car is set to drop by £10 within the next fortnight.

They added that the price of petrol has dropped by 2.8p a litre from record highs which would take around £1.50 off the overall price of a full tank of fuel.

Luke Bosdet at the AA said: “Wholesale petrol’s trajectory, if sustained, would lead to savings from the record highs – providing the fuel trade is prepared to pass them on.

“So far this morning, even with oil rebounding, wholesale petrol remains below 80.5p a litre.”