Wexford Commuters Hit Hard as Fuel Protests Cause Massive Delays

Wexford commuters are facing major delays on the M50 northbound this afternoon, with tailbacks stretching over seven miles.

The disruption comes amid ongoing nationwide fuel price protests, which are causing widespread traffic problems.

Access to Rosslare Europort is currently blocked, with Gardaí on site and surrounding roads severely impacted.

The Port have confirmed Ferry services are running as normal, but emergency vehicles, including ambulances, and public transport have experienced delays.

Speaking to South East Radio News, Wexford commuter James Molloy described the chaotic scenes he witnessed on his journey from Dublin this lunchtime but said Southbound was not busy at all.

Reports are coming in from Wexford of garages running low on fuel, with some already completely sold out.

After 48 hours of blockades at the country's main depots, a number of sites are completely sold out of fuel, while others will cap the amount people can buy at a time to stretch out stock. 

Protests are currently active at depots in Galway and Limerick, as well as Ireland's only oil refinery at Whitegate in Cork.

Kevin McPartlan, Head of Fuels for Ireland, says while he understands protester's frustrations, he believes they've 'badly misjudged' their tactics by blocking critical access to fuel.

The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces says its troops are ‘happy’ to lift heavy load vehicles out of the way, if they continue to block critical infrastructure.

It follows a request from the Gardai for additional support to help with protestors.