Drivers protest fuel prices

Spanish truck drivers smashed windscreens and Portuguese truckers blocked roads yesterday as protests over rocketing global fuel prices spread across Europe.

The Spanish and Portuguese drivers began an indefinite strike, and there were also protests across the border in France over the impact of high oil prices, now at record highs of over $139 per barrel.

Spaniards fearing fuel shortages queued to fill up at petrol stations, exhausting supplies in some places. Long lines formed at Spanish and Portuguese supermarkets after truckers said they would run out of fresh food within days.