FUEL protestors last night stood by their ultimatum to repeat their blockade of oil refineries as petrol prices continued to hit motorists.

As motorists were warned to brace themselves for queues at filling stations because of panic buying, fuel price campaigner Andrew Spence urged the Government to take prompt action to cut petrol duty.

The County Durham farmer and haulier threatened a replay of the protest of 2000, which almost brought Britain's roads to a standstill as shortages hit the forecourts.

Mr Spence, of the Fuel Lobby campaign group, urged Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown to reduce the impact on hauliers and all road users in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's effect on US oil production, which has forced prices up.

He also called for a six-month projection on fuel costs to enable transport companies to plan ahead.

The Fuel Lobby has called for a blockade of refineries from 6am next Wednesday if cuts do not come into effect.

Ultimately, the group wants a 10p reduction per litre to reduce the impact on struggling businesses.

A litre of unleaded petrol has now passed the £1 mark at many petrol stations, although the average remains about 96p, while diesel is said to be nudging the £1-a-litre mark on some forecourts.

Mr Spence, of Leadgate, near Consett, said: "We want to see an immediate reduction in taxation to bring down fuel prices or, as of 6am next Wednesday, there won't be a refinery in the country left open.

"Every refinery will be blockaded.

"Does the Government really want to see members of the public being dragged away from refineries by police in riot gear, or do they want to have dialogue?

"We would have thought they would want dialogue."

Mr Spence said the action would be restricted to one day, but added that longer blockades could take place if there was no reduction in costs.

But Ray Holloway, director of the Petrol Retailers' Association, said any blockades would more likely have the opposite outcome on petrol charges.

The only Government response to the latest threat came from a Treasury spokesman, who said: "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."

Support for the Government came from conservationists Friends of the Earth, which called for no reduction in fuel duties, claiming motoring was cheaper in real terms than it was when Labour came to power.