LAST time round, the fuel protesters had considerable support as their calls for a reduction in fuel tax struck a chord with the disgruntled motorist. Now as the People's Fuel Lobby threatens to repeat its protest, public sympathy appears not to be so strong.

According to a national opinion poll published today, support for fuel blockades has fallen from 80 per cent during the September blockades to 55 per cent - a figure which, while lower, will still worry Tony Blair's jittery administration.

At the end of the fuel crisis, the protesters set the Government a 60-day deadline to announce cuts in fuel tax. That limit arrives next week with the fuel lobby promising further chaos.

The protest leaders say they do not wish to bring mayhem to Britain's roads, claiming they want to make their point without causing disruption. If that is so, the planned truckers' 'crusade' from Jarrow to London should be diverted away from York at the weekend.

The truckers, who are following the route taken in the Thirties by hunger marchers, apparently intend to drive through the middle of York. If this convoy of disenchanted lorry drivers does indeed come into York, the protesters will risk alienating any support they have in and around the city.

As the whole world now knows, York and surrounding towns and villages are suffering from the severest floods imaginable. We live in times of chaos, worry and waiting to see how much higher our rivers can possibly rise. The last thing we need is a slow-moving convoy of heavyweight lorries to make life even more difficult.

The fuel protesters still deserve to be heard, but their arguments for cuts in fuel tax should be seen in the broader picture of taxation as a whole. All governments in recent memory have used fuel tax as a handy source of income. The fuel crisis should mark the moment when this and any subsequent government is more honest about taxation, telling us what we pay and why we pay it.