Fuel protestors are set to strike again if the Government does not bring down the tax on fuel.

Farmer and hauler Andrew Spence, a spokesman for the fuel lobby, said refineries would be blockaded from 6am next Wednesday if cuts were not implemented.

Spence, from Consett, made the announcement as the price of unleaded petrol rose to more than £1 a litre in parts of the UK as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

The Treasury has responded by saying that cutting tax would not solve the problem of high oil prices.

A week-long campaign of picketing refineries and depots by thousands of hauliers and farmers in 2000 caused major shortages and was thought to have cost British business £1bn.

There was panic buying of fuel and even food during the week-long protest.

"Every time the fuel companies have raised the price of fuel, taxation inadvertently has risen with it," said Spence.

"If we don't do something now then when does it stop? £1.10? £1.20? £1.30?

"When does the country have to stand up and say, 'look, come on, this is too much Mr Blair'?"

But a Treasury spokesman said that road fuel duty on the main types of petrol and diesel were lower than they were six years ago.

"We believe the biggest priority in terms of reducing fuel costs must be working with the American government to restore production levels affected by the Hurricane Katrina disaster," he said.

"We must also maintain pressure on (the oil producers' cartel) Opec to set their oil production at levels consistent with more stable and sustainable prices.

"More than half the fuel used in the UK bears little or no fuel duty at all... so seeking to address the problem of high oil prices through road fuel duty alone would do nothing for the majority of consumers."

The average price of normal unleaded petrol in Britain went up by more than two pence over the weekend, to 94.6 pence per litre.

The rise came after oil refineries in the US were knocked out by Hurricane Katrina.