IT is now time for the fuel protestors to end their action. They have achieved far more than they can ever have dared to hope they might when they set out on their disruption on Friday.

They have covered the Government in embarrassment and, by bringing Britain to a virtual standstill, they have raised the issue of petrol duty to the very top of the political agenda. All eyes are suddenly on the Government to see how it responds between now and the Budget next spring. If the majority of people decide that that response is not sufficient, they will register their democratic disapproval in the General Election due in May.

Most importantly for the protestors, they still have public support - for the time being.

This support is entirely understandable. Just as there are few turkeys who vote for Christmas, there are very few people who will disagree when asked if they would like to see the price of any commodity reduced.

But how long this support will last is debatable. Can it withstand more stories of charity shops losing £100,000 a week because they cannot collect their secondhand clothes? Can it withstand more children's education being disrupted as schools start to close? Can it withstand more misery being inflicted on patients as their often long-awaited routine operations are postponed? Can it withstand more unfortunate accidents, like the man who was badly burnt in Skipton while trying to stockpile fuel?

These are not the results that the protest set out to achieve, and are not the results with which responsible protestors would wish to be associated.

And, being reasonable people, they must surely understand why the Government cannot cave in and grant them concessions. That way only anarchy lies. That way gives carte blanche to every single issue fanatic - from GM protestor to country sport supporter to Irish freedom fighter - to cause as much mayhem as possible in the knowledge that if they do enough, the Government will capitulate.

So what more is there left for the fuel protestors to achieve? A death? One man has already suffered a heart-attack brought on by stress while queuing for petrol. Do innocent people really have to suffer - perhaps fatally - as the NHS and the ambulance service creak to a halt? Do protestors themselves have to suffer if any of the unsupportable death and arson threats are carried out against them as tempers begin to fray?

By ending their action now, the protestors can achieve one last thing: respect from the public. Respect for making their point; respect for showing the Government up for what it really is, and respect for having the sense to withdraw at the right time.

This can only enhance their case, but if they continue, they will lose that respect and damage the cause they have done so much to champion in the last six days