The roadblocks erected Monday morning in the English Channel by carriers who denounce soaring fuel prices were lifted Tuesday at midday, according to the prefecture. “There is no longer any blocking point in the department,” said the communication department of the Manche prefecture.
Tuesday morning nearly 350 heavy goods vehicles were still blocked in the morning near the A84, in Guilberville (Manche) by carriers, the prefecture said on Tuesday. The transporters lifted this blockade on the arrival of the gendarmes “who started to go around the trucks to verbalize”, assured Romain Leguelinel, manager of West auto logistics who participated in this blockage with his truck. The release took place peacefully. “At 4 p.m., traffic conditions returned to normal throughout the department of La Manche,” explained the prefecture.
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For him, 500 to 600 heavy goods vehicles were blocked in Guilberville. “We were there to show our strength not to use it”, but “we are ready” for a new mobilization “if we do not win our case”, specified the manager of this Norman company with 11 employees. ” Today (Editor’s note: with the envelope of 400 million in aid announced for road hauliers), we are given a check for 1,300 euros per vehicle but there is no viable device that is developed for the future, ”explained Romain Leguelinel on Tuesday morning.
According to the prefecture, elsewhere in the Channel, four roundabouts were blocked from Monday morning to Tuesday morning: three in Carentan and one in Saint-Lô. According to Romain Leguelinel, 200 fishermen had also joined Guilberville on Tuesday before dispersing and for some taking the direction of Saint-Lô.
The port of Lorient also unblocked
Further south, in Brittany, the prefecture of Morbihan has requested the release of the port of Lorient. The latter was unblocked on Tuesday morning, the port said. “Given the significant economic stakes associated with a rapid reopening of the Lorient-Keroman fishing port platform, particularly in view of the high risk of loss of products for the entire downstream sector (wholesalers and processors in particular), it is essential that (…) the port can resume its fish trading activity,” the prefecture indicated on Monday evening.
Regarding the production component, a meeting with fishermen and other stakeholders, actors in the sector, is to be held on Tuesday morning. The prefecture recalled that the government had announced the establishment of a rebate system for fishermen on the price of fuel, with a payment of aid equivalent to 0.35 euros per liter of fuel consumed over a period from March 17 to July 31.
On Monday, protest actions were carried out across the country, including snail operations or filter dams, to protest against fuel prices.