The farmer behind huge fuel protests in 2000 and 2020 is planning to stage another slow drive through Newcastle next month.

Andrew Spence, a farmer from County Durham, shot to fame in September 2000 when he slowed down the A1 with tractors and HGVs after petrol hit £1 per litre.

At the time there were massive queues as petrol stations ran dry and rolling road blocks on motorways against the then-high prices.

He also staged a protest in November last year when diesel prices topped £1.50 per litre.

Now vetran fuel campaigner Spence is planning a slow drive through the centre of Newcastle on the morning of July 9 involving tractors, hauliers, and taxi drivers.

Read more: Fuel crisis: Protestors plan slow drive down A1 on Friday

Andrew told The Northern Echo: “Some people have described what’s coming this summer as the summer of discontent.

“These protests will keep going over the summer and sending a big message to the government that enough is enough.

“Red diesel which we use three to five thousand litres of a week has gone from 80p per litre to over 120p since the beginning of March.”

Retail prices continued to rise this week with unleaded now costing, on average, 187.51p per litre and diesel costing 194.17p per litre, according to RAC Fuel Watch.

Read more: Odeon to close Darlington LUXE cinema on Northgate

On Friday (June 17) afternoon a convoy of ‘thousands’ of drivers is set to hold a slow drive down the A1 from Stannington, near Morpeth to Wetherby.

Speaking to The Echo on Thursday, Jay Garside, who is organising the protest on Friday, said there had been much more interest than he expected.

Mr Garside said: “We are expecting around about 2,000 vehicles to come along but it could be anywhere up to four or five thousand.

“We have lorries coming, haulage companies, we are getting an amount of support that we never expected.”

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