THE recent fuel tax protests may have been correct in claiming that reducing the level of duty on fuel will help haulage companies compete in Europe.

However, road transport demands a heavy price - every year thousands are killed, tens of thousands are injured and millions suffer ill health as a result of accidents and pollution.

Clearing up the resulting mess and treating the sick and injured costs the state many billions of pounds per year. This money has to come from somewhere a so a tax on fuel is perfectly reasonable. What makes a fair level of duty is a complex question.

The "Green" call for higher fuel duties as a means of encouraging people to use their cars less was used as an excuse by various governments to raise duties by more than inflation. However, the extra tax revenue was not invested in developing cleaner and safer cars or public transport (which was part of the "Green" rationale for higher fuel duties) rather it has disappeared into the black hole that is the Treasury.

In the long run environmental movements such as Friends of the Earth want the same thing as many motorists - the total cost of transport to be reduced. This in turn should result in some combination of better services, a healthier life and maybe lower taxes.

DR J B HILL, Malvern Hills Friends of the Earth, The Common, Wellington Heath.