Some of them intended taking petition to the doorstep of the Prime Minister in Downing Street, calling for him to intervene and slash fuel duty.

By the time the convoy reached Peterborough, there were already 70 trucks travelling in line.

Taking the lead in the local convoy, which set off from Spalding at 6.05am, was furious trucker Joe Cook, whose firm JS Cook and Sons, of Moulton Chapel, has been hard hit by escalating diesel prices.

What do you think about the current state of fuel prices?
Comment below, email us: news@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk or telephone the newsdesk 01733 555111.
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Prices today in the city (May 27)

• DIESEL


• BP, Bretton Way: 125.9p


• Shell, Oundle Road: 124.9p


• Q8, Carr Road: 130.9p

• UNLEADED


• BP, Bretton Way: 113.9p


• Shell, Oundle Road: 112.9p


• Q8, Carr Road: 114.9p

When the first big protest was staged in April, Joe made national headlines by taking a coffin, symbolising fears that fuel costs will kill off many haulage companies, to the Houses of Parliament.

Today, Joe was due to deliver a headstone to go with it, and his lorry was displaying a banner saying: "Gordon Brown, you'll end up the fuel, cause us Brits won't let you rule."

In January, it cost Joe £18,280 for 20,000 litres of petrol, to keep his eight lorries on the road.

By May 1, that jumped to £20,558, and by May 23 it was a crippling £21,924.

Speaking from his cab as he approached the outskirts of the capital this morning, Joe said he hoped as many as 400 lorries could jam the centre of London, and trucks had been joining the convoy as it snaked its way south.

He said: "We can't cope. It is crippling us day by day. I'm not prepared to give up protesting, and all

the truckers feel the same way, this is our livelihood we're talking about.

"I think this protest will be bigger than last time, and we will not give up until our concerns are listened to."

He said that truckers were expected from as far afield as Scot- land and Wales.

Most were covered in banners and flags, with slogans emblazoned across them condemning the lack of action taken by the Government.

The truckers planned to congregate for a rally in Marble Arch, after which a small party would take the petition to Downing Street. Police motorcycles escorted the local convoy down the A1 and into London.

The anger has been inflamed by a litre of diesel rising to 126.7p on average, a 29 per cent increase on last year.

Today, Mick Clifton (37), a driver who is one of 20 staff employed at JS Cook, said: "The price of fuel at the moment is ridiculous. We just dont know whether our jobs are going to be safe."

The protest was backed by Transaction 2007 – a group actively campaigning for parity for UK drivers on the price of fuel with competitors in other EU countries.

London cabbies were expected to join the big protest today, as they are feeling the pinch, too.