POLICE arrested protesters on Saturday to reopen Ireland’s only oil refinery as a fifth day of demonstrations over the soaring price of fuel left many gas pumps dry and threatened to cripple transportation across the country.

Trucks and tractors continued to block access to vital fuel depots and a major port, and vehicles clogging traffic led to closures of part of the main highway around the capital Dublin as well as sections of other major roadways.

Insisting that the clampdown would be ramped up, Irish police Commissioner Justin Kelly said: “These are blockades. They are not a legitimate form of protest. 

“We gave the blockaders fair warning that we were moving to enforcement, and they chose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom.”

Government officials and a negotiator said progress was made on talks Saturday to resolve the dispute.

Ger Hyland, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, who is acting on behalf of some protesters, said people were “just trying to survive and keep their business afloat.”

The protests began on Tuesday and have grown as word spread on social media, leading truckers, farmers, and taxi and bus operators to stage blockades and call for caps on fuel prices or tax cuts.