Around 100 truckers had been gearing up to cause havoc on the M4 in protest at the potential delay to Brexit .
The 'Great British road block south Wales' was part of planned blockades across the UK in response to what organisers were calling a "Brexit betrayal".
But the reality was quite different from the intention with very few problems reported on the roads and some events failing to materialise at all.
The Welsh pro-Brexiteers were due to met at Magor services at 6pm, before taking to the motorway with the aim of causing delays around the Prince of Wales Bridge.
They planned to drive slowly up the carriageway to create a rolling road block.
But there were just a handful of vehicles at Magor when a Wales Online photographer attended.
Vehicles were later filmed travelling slowly along the M4 towards the Severn Bridge and heading on past Bristol, but there were no reports of any major disruption.
Fishermen from Pembrokeshire are also getting behind the pro-Brexit protests by holding their own blockade of Pembroke Dock Ferry Terminal on Saturday, March 23.
Police and protesters arrive at Magor services ahead of the pro-Brexit protest:
Here is a list of the other roads which were expected to be affected today and tomorrow
Today (Friday, March 22):
- A30 Cornwall - 3.30pm
- A5/M54 Telford - 5pm
- A303 to M5 Somerset - 5pm
- M1 Derby/Nottingham - 6pm
- A414 Felixstowe - 6pm
- M6 Lancaster/Morecambe J34 to 35- 6.30pm
- South Wales M4 around the Prince of Wales Bridge
- M5/M4 between Avonmouth and Bath - 5.30pm
Tomorrow (Saturday, March 23):
- M62 Warrington Junction 9 - 11.30am
- M62 Manchester Junction 18 - 12pm
- M18 to the M1, Doncaster - 11.30am
Follow live updates below
The situation across the country
This is what’s been happening elsewhere across the country:
- On the A30 protesters were stopped by police and two drivers were arrested.
- On the M5 from Exeter it appears no-one turned up according to reports.
- On the M1 in the East Midlands an accident caused five miles of tailbacks - but there were no signs of any delays caused by protests.
- On the M62 there were no reports of any delays.
- On the M6 protesters blocked all three lanes - against police advice - and some drivers were undertaking on the hard shoulder.
- On the A494 in Flintshire around 20 vehicles or more turned up - there was slow traffic south and westbound but that was not helped by a closure due to an accident.
'Driving at 15mph'
The protestors have been criticised by some other drivers.
It is claimed they are driving 15mph and have spread across three lanes. Some drivers appear to be undertaking the protestors.
'Over before it began'
Conor Goherty from BristolLive said: “The protest appears to be over before it began in Bristol, with no disruption hitting the area at all.
“Our sister website Cornwall Live has given the following insight into how the demonstration kicked off on the south coast.
“About 10 vehicles set off along the A30. The vehicles, three of which were decorated in banners and flags, left the service station at Plusha at about 3.30pm.
“No lorries took part.
“Organisers initially said 25 people had signed up to take part in the rolling road block after the prime minister asked the European Union to delay the UK’s exit date beyond March 29.
“Speaking at the start of the protest, organiser Ian Grindod said: “It was never going to be a massive event anyway.”
“Things got worse for the demonstrators further along the A30, when police stopped nine vehicles and reported two motorists for inconsiderate driving.
“The protest appears to be over before it began in Bristol, with no disruption hitting the area at all.”
Protest reaches Severn Bridge
The protest has been spotted on the M4 at Rogiet near the Severn Bridge. We will have video soon of the protest making its way down the M4.
Prince of Wales Bridge clear
Traffic seems to be running smoothly across the Prince of Wales Bridge.
Five-mile tailbacks in Cornwall
A blockade formed in Bodmin and caused five miles of tailbacks. However, police have stopped those involved and said they will be prosecuted.
It's all looking clear
The M4 is still looking clear in south Wales and traffic is moving well along the protest route.
Police pull over drivers
The police have been pulling over drivers on the A30 for driving inconsiderately.
Cornwall protest stopped
The protest has been stopped in Cornwall, it’s been reported.
CornwallLive said it was unsure if the protest would continue.
Drivers taking part in the protest in Cornwall will be prosecuted, police say.
'Our democratic right'
Julia Lewis, who is also at the protest in south Wales, said: “We are here to demonstrate tonight against the loss of our country’s democracy. We hope to achieve recognition that 17.4m voters voted to come out of the EU.
“They didn’t vote to come out on a certain deal, they didn’t vote to come out on a hard Brexit, a soft Brexit, we had a choice in or out and the country chose out.
“There are a lot of remainers that wanted to stay in, but they weren’t the majority.
“Right back to the Magna Carta to now, that is democracy. The majority won.
“England played Wales recently in the rugby and they lost. Did they turn round and ask for a re-match? No, you can’t.
“The vote was cast and we were supposed to come out next Friday, that is our democratic right and that’s why I’m protesting.”
'We want it sorted'
Ian Butler, who spoke to our photographer at the Magor services, said: “I am sick of hearing about the protest, I just want to get it sorted out, we just want to come out of Brexit.”
No 'major delays' in Bristol
Our sister title BristolLive has reported that there are currently no signs of any major delays in the Bristol area.
This is despite organisers saying they will “bring the country to its knees if they do not deliver on the referendum result”.
Two protestors with signs
Two protesters have pro-Brexit signs on their vehicles.
They were pictured at Magor services.
No sign of 'blockade'
The protestors said they would meet at 6pm at Magor services. Traffic cameras are all looking clear in Magor at the moment though and there is no sign of a ‘blockade’.
Traffic's looking clear
Traffic is still looking clear on the protest route, bar some slow traffic due to road works in between Magor and the bridge.
No traffic problems yet
There doesn’t appear to be any congestion on the M4 from Magor yet, but there is still half an hour to go until the truckers set off.
What Pembrokeshire police have said
In February, it was reported that Pembrokeshire was the only Welsh county to put measures in place to deal with Brexit-related protest and disorder, with specialist police officers from Dyfed Powys Police on standby .
A spokesman for the force said: “We are aware of a planned protest and we will always seek to facilitate the right to peaceful protest, balancing the right to protest with disruption to local communities. We work with protest organisers to achieve this.”
Over in Pembrokeshire...
In Pembrokeshire, where 57% voted to leave the EU at the referendum, two groups, Protest for Fishing Rights and Pembrokeshire for Brexit, have also come together to do their bit to make sure Brexit goes through.
They plan to block lorries coming out of the ferry terminal but have said they will not block any public coming or going.
What are the authorities saying?
A Highways England spokesman previously said they were aware of planned protests, before adding: “Our focus is on providing a safe, reliable network for the millions of drivers who use our motorways and major A roads every day.”
The group behind the protest
The group behind this protest calls itself Brexit Direct Action.
In a Facebook post, the organisation said: “On March 22, there will be multiple road blocks in place all over the UK in protest to the Brexit betrayal.
“We invite you to join us and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience.”
A statement on Twitter reads: “Several social media groups have been in contact to ask if we’ll help gather support for a national truck drivers protest if Brexit is delayed.
“Brexiteers all over the country are planning to bring this country to its knees by blocking the main arterial routes - M1, M6 M25, M62, A1, A55, M5, M4, M42, M55, M61, A66 etc.
“If you live close to one of these major motorways and are willing to take part then prepare to move at short notice.
“Don’t worry about the legal side of things, the national organiser is sorting that out.”
UKIP warns protesters
UKIP has issued a statement to its members warning against participation.
It reads: “This will achieve nothing - except the possible arrest of participants on public order offences - and party leader Gerard Batten MEP has requested that UKIP members do NOT participate, and do not allow others to use UKIP flags, banners and other insignia in such a protest.
“To do otherwise will simply risk bringing the party into disrepute, undermine all our hard work and be a media own goal.”
The penalty for willfully obstructing the highway is a fine.
Why are they doing it?
Tony West, who has coordinated much of the planned protest, told WalesOnline: “You only have to look at how the government and the EU have treated us leave voters over the last couple of days to see what this is in aid of.
“We have had three years of it. We won a vote to leave but here we are no closer to actually leaving.
“I made the event for the South Wales people because there are a lot of people all across Wales that have simply had enough and just want out.
“I gave them a place where they could plan and join us on this national effort to show we are no longer going to sit back and let this happen to our democracy.”
'Bring the country to its knees'
The group is taking action against the threat of the country not leaving the EU on March 29.
The plan is to “bring this country to its knees” and it urged Brexiteers across the country to get involved.
The action takes place just a day after a Brexit petition calling for Article 50 to be revoked caused the Parliament website to crash.
