British truckers gather before moving in staged convoys to Westminster in central London to protest fuel prices, 02 Jul 2008

Hundreds of truck drivers are converging on the British parliament to protest the sharp rise in fuel prices.

Police cleared a section of a main highway into London Wednesday, to provide protesting truckers with a staging area. Officers then began escorting truck convoys to outside the Houses of Parliament, where they were joined by supporters.

The drivers want the government to scrap plans to raise fuel taxes by four cents a liter in October, and also arrange for a 50-cent cut per liter in the cost of fuel.

Trucker unions say British trucking companies can not compete against rivals in continental Europe, where fuel tariffs are lower. Drivers say their fuel costs have risen 20 percent so far this year.

Today's protest is the third in and near London in recent weeks.

Rising fuel costs have sparked protests across much of Europe and Asia in recent months. Several hundred truckers jammed London roadways in May, in a similar protest.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.