Kent hauliers headed to the capital on Tuesday to protest over record fuel prices that are "slowly killing off" their industry. The convoy set off from the M2 services at Gillingham at 7.15am and was joined by another convoy from Leicester.

Around 65 vehicles converged on Park Lane, blaring their horns in protest over spiralling diesel prices. The drivers presented a letter to Parliament detailing how the average lorry is hit by around £27,000 in duty and taxes each year. Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Derek Wyatt accepted the letter.

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Panic-buying triggered by a two-day strike at a Scottish oil refinery led to some petrol stations in the county running out of unleaded fuel. Others reported lengthy queues at the pumps and at least one supermarket filling station was refusing to sell petrol to people with cans.

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The truckers' protest was organised by road haulage group TransAction 2007 and had the consent of the Metropolitan Police.

Peter Knight, of Les Knight Transport in Faversham, said: "We hope this nationwide protest will be listened to. We're facing a very difficult time as road haulers.

"It's increasingly tough and we're seeing crippling, weekly rises on fuel prices. Our industry is being slowly killed off."

Geoff Dossiter from the Freight Transport Association did not officially back the direct action, but said he had sympathy for those participating.

He said: "The price of oil has impacted big time on the transport industry and we're struggling to pass those extra costs onto customers and of course the target of the protestors is going to be the Government themselves."

Hauliers want fuel prices to be brought in line with their European counterparts who pay less for diesel.

Derek Linch from Romney Marsh, who took part in the protest, said: "We used to do European work. We don't any more because we can't compete, we're at such an unfair disadvantage. We pay double the duty that they do in Europe and we want something back from the Government."

But Charles Hewitt Ltd in Canterbury did not take part. David Grummitt from the company said: "We have joined fuel protests in the past but we don't believe the Government listens to any of the haulage companies in the country at present. We don't see any point in joining the action this time around."