Petrol stations in Shropshire today began running out of fuel as hundreds of Shell tanker drivers took to the roads on a second day of strike action.
A Shell garage in Telford has become one of the first in the county to be severely hit - running out of diesel late last night - and staff claimed it was only a matter of time before the pumps were completely dry.
Other petrol stations across the county spoke of “madness” at the forecourts and said they were only coping because of extra fuel supplies.
Members of the Unite union employed by two companies on Shell contracts walked out at 6am yesterday at the start of a four-day strike over pay.
Disgruntled lorry drivers were poised to cause gridlock on the M6 today in a series of go-slow fuel protests. Union leaders have warned the walk-out will have a worsening effect on supplies over the weekend.
A spokeswoman for Shell in Stirchley, Telford, said: “We ran out of normal diesel late last night but we have still got unleaded and vito diesel at the moment. I think we will be gone by Monday.”
Feared
Sarah Cope, supervisor at Shell in Sutton Maddock, Telford, said panic buyers had forced them to run out of fuel earlier than expected and feared the pumps would be left dry by 2.30pm today.
She said: “We will have probably run out by about 2.30pm today. We don’t know when we will get our next delivery yet but we think it will be Tuesday.”
Kaz Khan, spokesman for Tong Service Station, said he ran out of unleaded petrol after a “very busy day” yesterday when the forecourt was swamped with panic buyers.
Mr Khan said: “I’ve just had a phone call to say the delivery won’t be coming until Monday now because of all the backlash from the strikes.”
Simon Allen, of the BP station in Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, said: “It’s madness because everybody is just filling up their cars.”
But despite fears of empty forecourts, some stations said they were coping well.
Tracey Young, at the Victoria Garage in Whitchurch, said: “People have not been panic buying.”
By Russell Roberts
13 Comments
PANIC 4 days and a tank of fuel last a week.
This is no great surprise when the Shropshire Star headline yesterday morning was ‘Panic at the Pumps’ long before any such panic existed.
The Shropshire Star should be ashamed of such scaremongering!
Things are looking bleak for Mr Brown. Who will strike next, I wonder?
Thankfully i ran out of petrol on the day of the first strike, so i’ve not panic bought, i just filled up as normal.
Pumps are now running low, but i’m ok, i have a full tank!
It just shows how much the people of this country trust this government when they say there is no need to panic !!
But some pr*ts will fill up their tanks with a few gallons because the government says DON’T PANIC worst thing they could have said. No one trusts goverenment statements these days
Some people talk up the ‘panic’ too - newspapers who want you to buy them? Don’t think people can oust Brown - just like Milk-mines-life-Snatcher, he has to watch out for his people. Beware of ministers bearing support.
i filled up my car on sunday last week as i do every week ready for the week’s commute to work. As i got wind of the strike this weekend, i didnt panic buy deliberately as i had been assured by our ever so trustful government (how wrong am i? again!) that the pumps wouldn’t run dry. I am now in the situation where i have no fuel in my tank and am struggling to find a petrol station WITH petrol! So those of us who took advice not to “panic-buy” are the ones who are suffering now. Think i will be ignoring any future “advice!”
Thankfully, my horse does not need any petrol!
Well…
Hmmm.
If I fill my car’s tank to the brim, and everyone else does the same - then there will be an intial “peak” of usage, followed by an immediate return to the normal “usage” - as you can only fill your tank at the same rate it empties!!
So “panic” buying is an illusion - if all you do is put it in your car !!!
All we are seeing is a temporary demand on supply whilst everyone makes sure their tanks are full - and - unless a lot of people are actually “storing” fuel in “extra” containers - then there is no “actual” change in overall demand!!
All we are seeing therefore is the effect of a temporary inability to supply this peak demand - and it will therefore return to normal as soon as tankers start moving again.
Of course ….. being cynical ….. this could all be a put up job by the govm’nt , fuel companies to make us thankful for fuel supply at ANY PRICE ….. ???
isn’t it just a tad “odd” that all this is happening just when the price of crude is going up, world markets are in turmoil, credit crunch, house prices collapsing …..
And we’ll all have a huge sigh of relief next week when the pumps are running again, and another 10p has gone on the price.
Ive seen it all before …… does anyone remember 1973, when we nearly had fuel rationing? and the price of petrol went from 33p a gallon to 50p+ (nearly double) in just a few weeks?
I believe This is all about softening up the public for higher fuel prices and nothing to do with anything else - and we are all falling for it , the press included !!!
its not so bad if it means people learn where the train station is and finally start driving greener slower safer etc
Just filled up at the Mount - they claim they are the only place in shrewsbury with unleaded now - sainsburys has closed for the next 2 days, esso and asda was out too last I heard…. SCary!!
i say when they ask for calm there must be good reason to PANIC!! Panic i will, I heard the BP in Ford finally has fuel now though after 2 days of nothing, so all go there if you’re desperate !!