The BBC reports taht:
Low turnout for fuel tax protestsDemonstrations over the price of petrol have been largely low-key, with small numbers of protesters at refineries.
Organisers said the campaign was meant to be symbolic, claiming it had already put the government "on the back foot".
There has been no repeat of Tuesday's panic-buying of petrol among motorists, and suppliers said those garages which had sold out were being replenished.
Activists want fuel duty to be cut after a series of price rises but said they would not blockade refineries."
"Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the government was acting to keep petrol costs down and that "since 1999 fuel prices have come down both in real terms and cash terms, in terms of the duty".The UK Petroleum Industry Association, which represents oil giants Shell, BP, Esso and Total, said prices could fall by as much as 4p a litre next week, as extra oil stocks enter the system.
'Achieved something'
Farmer and haulier Andrew Spence, who was involved in the 2000 protests, said ministers had been forced to make concessions by the latest campaign.
He said that without it "I doubt that the government would have given us the 1.2p freeze in duty proposed for October. I like to think that we have achieved something this week."
Mr Spence, who was among a small group of protesters at the Shell refinery in Jarrow, south Tyneside, said: "We didn't want a lot of people here, I would rather there was just a handful of us."
Another protester, farmer Martin Stevenson, said that despite the low turnout, support for the cause was "very large" as "everybody is dissatisfied with the amount of money they're paying in tax on fuel".
At Purfleet in Essex protesters held placards saying "Support British Hauliers" and "End Labour's War on the Motorist". A man from Sheerness in Kent was arrested for obstructing the highway.
At the Vopek terminal in nearby Thurrock, one protester who drove his car on to the wrong side of the road to try to block a tanker was moved by police. An ambulance was called after he complained that he had hurt his back.
Two demonstrators who turned up at Shell's refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, were frightened off by the size of the media pack, according to a police source.
A number of other refineries saw small-scale demonstrations, while others reported that it was business as usual.
Ray Holloway, of the Petrol Retailers Association, said he was pleased by the low turnout but was cautious because the protesters had threatened three days of disruption.
There is a planned go-slow on the M4 in Wales on Friday to mark the fifth anniversary of protests there.
Emergency plans
In September 2000 many hauliers, farmers, taxi drivers and others joined the protests - which saw refineries blockaded for a day and then picketed - with fuel shortages hitting motorists across the UK.
The government, police and oil industry bosses believe lessons have been learned from the 2000 protests and emergency plans were put in place for dealing with any disrupted fuel supplies.
Chris Hunt, director general of the UK Petroleum Industry Association, said Tuesday's panic-buying was a "blip", as "once you've filled your tank you can't keep doing it".
He also predicted better news for motorists next week, with the pumping of extra oil stocks bringing prices "back down to pre-Katrina levels".
With the cost of a barrel of oil in New York down from $70 to $64 (£35), the AA said it was "cautiously optimistic" about a fall in prices at the pump.
On Tuesday Chancellor Gordon Brown called on Opec countries to boost production to tackle rising oil prices.
And with the protests underway, Alistair Darling said the government needed to stick to long-term tax goals"