Fears of fuel shortages have led to panic buying at pumps in Shropshire as last-ditch talks took place today to try to avert a national strike by hundreds of tanker drivers.
Time was running out in the deadlocked pay row which could lead to fuel shortages over the weekend if no deal is reached.
Some motorists in Shropshire have already begun panic buying with queues building up at several of the county’s filling stations.
Sue Stewart, manager of Lower Bar filling station in Newport, said: “It’s been absolutely horrendous on our forecourt today and it’s been non-stop. I would urge people not to panic buy otherwise we might run out before our next delivery.”
Last night the filling station at Asda in Shrewsbury was busier than normal. Richard Hardie, trading team leader at the store, said the filling station had been busier than normal over the last week. He said: “I think people are panic buying a little bit with one thing or another going on.”
Jeffrey Richardson, a manager at Murco filling station in Sutton Hill, Telford, also said his pumps had been busier than normal. “I think people are putting in more fuel than normal,” he said.
Officials from the Unite union and managers from two firms which deliver fuel to Shell garages held more than 10 hours of talks yesterday under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas. The two sides resumed direct talks at 8.30am today, without the involvement of Acas.
Drivers employed by Hoyer & Suckling are due to walk out for four days from 6am tomorrow in a dispute over pay. Sources at the talks said there was a determination to reach a deal today to avoid the strike going ahead.
16 Comments
If the Government had made no comment earlier this week, few people would have known about the strike. They went public with an appeal, hence the automatic panic buying. It could be an interesting few days. Brown will need more than the Ulster Unionists to help him….
Haha makes me laugh how people are so reliant on their cars. With the amount of cars on the road now the future looks bleak as gridlock will happen sooner than later. It will be faster to cycle to places. The only vehicles that should have paramount importance are delivery HGV’s. Normal people who are to lazy to walk ten yards, there the people that should suffer with higher fuel prices and shortages.
I guess that leading on “Sales of petrol are higher than average” doesn’t make of a story, but throwing the word panic in does.
Doesn’t this make the paper (morally) involved in (helping) to kick off panic buying if it does now. There’s lots of other stories about at the moment, helping to start panic isn’t socially responsible. Please stop.
Very wise to panic buy - it all started after the government said don’t panic so it is clear how much we believe what they say!!
Don’t panic buy!!! That is why we run out. Some people really do need the petrol so don’t just buy for the sake of it!!
Don’t suppose the Express helped yesterday with their headline “We Will Run Out Of Petrol”
Some good comments here all on the same wave lenght -
Q. Whats the best way of getting somebody to do something?
A. Tell them they shouldn’t do it
what a load of dipsticks, it is only shell tankers on strike from 6am tomorrow for 4 days, if the strike goes ahead. the country is swimming with fuel.
no.2 cycle you fool,do you think the shops get there goods delivered by tandam,we need fuel for the blood of this country if the fuel stops we stop.plus dopey cycle if your bike breaks were will you get the parts idiot if there’s no transport prat.
look guy.s i filled up 2 days ago when my friend mentioned it i, i asked if he had a spare 20 pound note so he said yes , I remember the last one it was chaos anyway I have many older friends and 2 dogs who need driving around like many other people in my posistion i am very busy getting work so the only person to get on their bike is the person who suggested it
you get on your bike i need petrol
contrary to my flippant comment above this strike has serious cosequences as other company tanker drivers will not cross picket lines and stanlow is at a standstill. according to tony woodley joint general secretary of the union unite, his members who work for a subsidiary of shell want a 13% pay award to take them up to circa £40000 pa. he will say they were sacked by shell some years ago and lost salary and pension benefits and this pay deal would bring them up to other tanker drivers. shell have offered 7% and 6% for next year. this has been turned down by the members. in context shell make 1.5 billion pounds a month. this may be a short sharp strike or lookout. is 41k over the top, i will leave others to judge, other than to say these tanker drivers are driving potential fireballs about the uk.
Discusting how much they want for driving round the UK ok they are ”potential fireballs” but the lads/women out in iraq/afghanistan get paid just over half of that & there under attack all the time!!!thats my opinion anyway!!
Personally, whenever I see “Don’t Panic Buy” - normally I do panic buy because you just know everyone else does. If the media didn’t promote “Don’t Panic Buy” then no one would, would they - because they wouldn’t no too? Personally, I panic buy under the following conditions:
All Media\Government “Don’t Panic Buy” notifications - more so if they are government ones.
Any Bank Holiday - bread and milk etc
Any kind of snow warning - again bread and milk are good
Any kind of flood warning which may stop deliveries - tinned stuff and bottled water is good here
Any kind of food shortage - even if I perhaps wouldn’t have bought buy it normally - depends what it is - bananas etc
Droughts - bottled water is a favourite
Oh and Petrol\Diesel (see above).
Thanks go to the Government and the Shropshire Star for their advice and news coverage for letting me and everyone else know what to purchase and when.
When was the last time you heard of one of those “potential fireballs” exploding. Exactly, it does not happen except in Hollywood movies.
Shell Drivers = GREEDY PEOPLE.
drew i agree it is greedy but if they are earning £2 an hour less than other petrol tanker drivers, they are right to be aggrieved. what i find fault with is other company drivers refusing to cross picket lines. this is purely an in house pay dispute and nothing to do with bp, jet etc these drivers should be prosecuted, if they cannot work normally