Motorists are being told to prepare for fuel price protests with “slow-moving roadblocks” that are planned across the UK from today.
As millions of families in Greater Manchester and across the country are expected to hit the road after schools across England and Wales break up for the six-week summer holidays, a number of protests over the increase in fuel prices amid the rising cost of living crisis are scheduled to take place on a number of motorways, and it could bring extensive delays.
Demonstrations are planned in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, and London, as well as in Manchester.
Fuel Price Stand Against Tax – which is a Facebook group with over 53,000 members – shared a post suggesting activists will assemble “nationwide” to make their voices heard.
Protesters plan to cause delays on parts of the M4, M5, M32, and A38.
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The protests come as the RAC estimates that around 18.8 million leisure trips are planned in the UK between today and Monday.
Motorists are being told to prepare for fuel price protests with “slow-moving roadblocks” this weekend / Credit: RAC
While all the motorways where protests are scheduled have been officially named, the RAC is also warning motorists of traffic jams on roads not caused by demonstrations too over the weekend, with the M25 feared to be one of the worst-affected – in particular stretches between Bromley and the Dartford Crossing and Maple Cross.
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Traffic jams are also expected on parts of the M3, and the M23 to the M40.
Queues are also likely to build up on the A303 near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, on the M4 between Cardiff and Newport in South Wales, and on the M5 south of Bristol, according to reports by transport analytics company, Inrix.
One of the most significant known protests taking place today will see a convoy of vehicles travel north on the M5 between Bridgwater and the Almondsbury Interchange from about 8.45am, then east along the M4 and to Junction 1 of the M32.
With the price of fuel having been constantly rising since February 2022, the RAC is calling on major retailers to cut the cost of petrol by 5p a litre.
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The RAC believes motorists should pay 174p a litre of petrol and 189p for diesel – but the average price of a litre of petrol on Wednesday was 187.5p and diesel cost 196.1p, according to data company Experian.
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
22nd July 2022 
