A PLANNED blockade outside Coryton Oil Refinery to demonstrate against rising fuel prices was called off due to alleged police harassment.

Officers were out in force outside the fuel plant in Manorway, Corringham on Saturday.

But the hundreds of demonstrators they expected to turn up were nowhere to be seen.

Protest group Stop the Rip Off updated its online Facebook page to say the demo had been cancelled until next weekend because of police intimidation.

David Kent, a spokesman for the group, said the police had visited the homes of several organisers in the build up to the protest.

He claims they told the 15-year-old daughter of one of the organisers that legal action could be taken if things went wrong at the protest.

He said: “We were shocked to learn police had turned up unannounced at the houses of our organisers. We feel that this is a matter of concern in a democratic society that police can do this with the obvious purpose of scaring us off in our attempt to hold a peaceful protest.”

The group intends to file a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

A spokesman from Essex police said officers had visited the homes of campaigners but denied any intimidation.

He said: “Officers did attend the homes of several organisers to have discussions so that the protest went off as orderly and peacefully as possible.

“The suggestion of intimidation is completely untrue.”

Stop the Rip Off describes itself as a direct action group set up in protest at the rising price of fuel, which has risen dramatically since the turn of the year due to the rise in VAT and fuel tax.

Angela Horn, of Berkshire, a member of the group, said: “We’re not a motoring group, we are just Joe Public.

“We are the people who are worrying about our jobs, worrying how we can afford to do the school run with these petrol prices.”

The group has more than 3,000 members on its Facebook page and is now planning to blockade Coryton next Saturday.

It also plans a further 11 demonstrations at major refineries and fuel depots across the UK on Saturday, February 5, including Coryton.

The Swiss oil company Petroplus bought the Coryton Refinery from BP in May 2007.

The site is responsible for loading about 700 tankers a day to meet 22 per cent of the UK’s forecourt demand.

In October last year environmental activists blocked Manorway, the only entrance to the site, for six hours.