The hauliers gathered at Whitwood Truck Stop, near Castleford, at around 1pm and there was almost a carnival atmosphere as they set off down the M62 with horns being honked and banners draped over motorway bridges wishing them good luck.

The protest ran from Whitwood to the M606 turn-off at Chain Bar, near Bradford, and back and took over an hour.

One of the organisers, Rob Sweeting, a Leeds-based haulier, said: "We have had a good turnout. The police were a little heavy handed telling us to go faster from 20mph so we speeded up a little bit. We just want the price of diesel to fall."

Richard Crump, managing director of Pelican Engineering Group, in Castleford, said he supported the drivers, many of whom are his customers.

He said: "We had about 35 staff out there cheering them on. Haulage is a very low margin business at the best of times. I have had one owner driver in the convoy more or less pleading with me to buy his truck from him because what he is taking is not llowing him to operate."

The deal aimed at ending the bitter fuel tanker drivers' dispute is worth around 14 per cent over two years, it emerged today.

Hundreds of members of the Unite union will soon start voting on whether to accept the offer, which was worked out during all-day talks.

The agreement between union leaders and managers from two haulage companies which deliver fuel to Shell garages has averted further industrial action planned for this weekend.

The drivers, employed by Hoyer and Suckling, staged a four-day strike which ended at 6am yesterday, causing fuel shortages in parts of the UK.

It is believed that the deal is worth 9 per cent in year one and a further 5 per cent in year two and will take the drivers' basic pay to around £36,000.

But with overtime and other payments, their average earnings is expected to be almost £42,000 by the end of the second year, it is believed.

The basic pay will be for a 48-hour week. Union officials had pointed out that the drivers were on a basic wage of £32,000 for a 37-hour week in 1992.

Voting on the deal is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
The price of both petrol and diesel at UK pumps rose by record margins over the last month, according to figures out today.

The AA's Fuel Price Report for June disclosed that average petrol prices soared by 5.61p per litre between mid May and mid June, while diesel shot up 7.39p.

The average cost of petrol in the UK is now 118.16p per litre. Diesel stands at 131.56p per litre.

But despite four days of strike action by tanker drivers, the areas worse hit by fuel shortages failed to show any significant price premium.

London and the South East remain the most expensive areas to buy petrol in the UK. Scotland and the South West were found to be the dearest places for diesel.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: "These record fuel prices are affecting the mobility and livelihoods of many motorists.

"Individual motorists and fleet drivers are cutting back on their journeys and following economical driving tips, but are still stung by record prices at the pumps."

The AA called on the Chancellor to abandon any prospect of a 2p per litre increase, set up a fuel regulator and consider other measures to help low-income motorists.

Mr King said: "Motorists did not panic at the pumps over the fuel shortages, but there are now signs of panic and pain over the prices."

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