At least 50 vehicles are expected to take part in a planned go-slow blockade along the M40 in Oxfordshire - the county's first protest against the spiralling cost of petrol.

Next weekend Oxfordshire cabbies Brooke Purvis and Mark Griffiths are organising a protest from Oxford Services to Downing Street in central London and have been using Internet forums to spread the word.

They urged motorists to join the protest. Mr Griffiths said: "The protest is not just for taxi drivers. It's for everybody to show their disdain for what's happening. We are expecting to get at least 50 motorists - we want to show a united front."

Mr Purvis, from Carterton, said similar protests were planned in Scotland, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham and Derby.

The 31-year-old said the high price of fuel had left many taxi drivers disillusioned, but insisted the go-slow protest was a chance for the whole county to send a message to the Government. He said: "I was talking to an Oxford cabbie the other day and he said he was bringing in about £900 a week before tax, insurance and expenses, whereas he was getting about £1,500 six months ago.

"Taxi drivers are suffering because everyone is spending more at home. We want to get people out into the towns, but the price of everything has rocketed because it's linked to fuel.

"If the Government reduced fuel tax and VAT, the price of everything would come down.

"It's a simple solution and I know politics is more complicated, but if you reduce fuel tax it will bring down the price of food and strengthen the economy."

Mr Purvis said this time last year he made good money in Witney and Oxford on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. Now, he said, only Saturday nights brought in much profit.

Witney-based Mr Griffiths, a taxi driver for eight years, added: "We don't get any sort of rebate at all and we are in a position where we can only charge a certain amount of money to our customers.

"There has been a 30p increase of fuel in the last year alone - we can't put that on customers because they are in the same boat."

Through word of mouth and internet sites Facebook and britainsrevolting.com, the two cabbies have contacted more than 100 taxi drivers in west Oxfordshire, as well as countless ordinary motorists.

The protesters plan to meet at Oxford Services, at junction 8A on the M40, on Saturday at 11am.

Police have advised them not to travel slower than 40mph, Mr Purvis said.

A Highways Agency spokesman added: "If protests occur, we will work to inform drivers about delays and to advise on alternative routes."

However, not all taxi drivers in the county support the go-slow protest. Alan Woodward, secretary of the Oxford City Licenced Taxicab Association, said: "I don't think a fuel protest is going to do much. It's up to taxi drivers to apply to local authorities to have fares increased.

"The cost should be passed to the people that use the service.

"If your client business is reducing, why take the service away from them to protest about your own costs increasing?

"We have never agreed with protesting about the cost of fuel."