LONG queues were expected at petrol pumps across the South today as motorists fill up before a one-day boycott of garages.

Campaign group Dump the Pump is expecting thousands of Hampshire drivers to take part in tomorrow's protest against the government's annual increases in fuel tax.

Latest figures show petrol prices have doubled in the past decade - the steepest rise ever faced by the modern motorist.

Prices have rocketed from 43p a litre in 1990 to an average of 86.2p across the South East - bringing fears of a £1 litre even closer.

Today Hampshire-based motoring organisation the AA said local drivers were the hardest hit in the country when it came to petrol prices.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Rees said: "Motorists in the South are always worst off because the price per litre here is far more than the national average.

"We don't really know why and the petrol companies won't come out with a reason, but we believe it is just because the South is considered affluent and people pay the prices."

Although the AA is not officially backing tomorrow's national boycott of garages, it believes the publicity generated by the campaign should help raise public awareness surrounding fuel prices.

The organisation also fears the boycott could cause chaos at service stations both before and after the event.

In Eastleigh, Tory activists campaigning against high fuel prices descended on Eastleigh to give frustrated car owners the chance to confront the Chancellor of the Exchequer face to face.

The life-size cardboard cut-out of Gordon Brown was brought in by the local Conservative party to promote the national launch of their Labour's Highway Robbery campaign.

The Tories' prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastleigh, Conor Burns, was in the town centre and fellow Tory councillors and workers were also out in force across the borough to rally support.

Mr Burns said: "The posters and the cardboard cut-out are intended to draw the attention of people to the fact that Labour are clobbering them every time they fill up their cars."

Meanwhile, supermarkets across the South are currently doing battle in a petrol price war, with Sainsbury the latest to slash prices before tomorrow's national boycott.

Sainsbury has cut the price of unleaded petrol and diesel at all its filling stations from an average 83.9p to 79.9p a litre.

Fuel giant Shell has cut its price for unleaded petrol to 79.9p a litre, while rival BP's typical price for unleaded is now 82p, following a 1p cut last Monday and a further 1p cut on Friday night.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.