Strike Sparks Fuel Shortage

[Mick]

Panic buying starts in Scotland
BRITAIN is set for a fuel crisis as filling stations start to run dry ahead of an oil refinery strike.

Petrol supplies ran low last night ahead of the two-day action set to start tomorrow. Several garages in Scotland were running dry as drivers stocked up.

Others have been forced to ration fuel or close pumps as motorists panic buy.

Up to 1,200 workers at the Grangemouth refinery near Falkirk are set to walk out in a row over pensions. Owners Ineos last night closed the plant ahead of the action.

And BP warned the strike could force them to close a route that supplies 30% of the UK’s oil output. The Forties pipeline relies on electricity and steam from Grangemouth to bring in 700,000 barrels a day from the North Sea.


Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said the pipeline was “crucial” and warned that motorists could be affected.


He said: “I cannot guarantee that every garage forecourt will have petrol. I hope the vast majority of people are sensible about this.”


But it is feared the action could spark a repeat of the 2000 fuel protests.


A Downing Street spokesman said there supplies will last but added: “Increasing demand could potentially cause problems for those who need fuel.”


The Grangemouth dispute has escalated from a bitter row over pensions. Up to 1,200 workers are set to walk out of the giant Scottish oil refinery for 48 hours tomorrow after failing to strike a deal with owners Ineos.

Their Union, Unite, wants the same final salary pension deal for new workers that has been offered to all existing staff.

[pipinfort]

Looks like i`m gonna be queing when i filll up this morning then, not that I`M panic buying, i just need some.......!

[emzy]

Hope I dont have to wait too long, im running on fumes anyway (can only ever afford to put between £5 - £10 a week in anyway and this weeks no different)

[jambutty]

If anyone wants evidence of how today’s society has gone down the me, me, me, me, me road you only have to look at the times when there is a forthcoming shortage of something.

On the news last night it showed motorists filling up and also filling gallon cans. Talk about grabbing as much as you can for yourself and devil take the rest. It was also reported that some garages have upped their price to £1.35 per litre. Hopefully the Scottish motorists will have long memories and boycott those garages when sanity and fuel is restored.

The refinery was closed down before the strike started because of alleged security/safety issues. It was stated that it would be at least five days before full production is resumed once the strikers go back to work.

It was also stated that there was at least 7 days supplies of petrol and diesel available at normal usage.

I smell a rat! There is more to this issue than meets the eye.

[Lilly]

I remember all this happening in 2000. I was pregnant at the time and people kept telling me to fill the car up so we had petrol in the car when I went into labour.

It's all this panic buying that creates these shortages. If people were sensible about it there wouldn't be a shortage.

[Eric]

if people did not have this insane love affair with the automobile there would not be a problem ... consumers have to look at their driving habits and cut out all the non essential driving that they do ... have people forgotten that the burning of fossil fuels is one of the major factors behind global warming? JB could be right ... there are big smelly rats out there, and most of them are directors of, and major investors in, the oil companies ... I would be prepared to bet a few bucks that when the oil companies release their quarterly statements their public relations departments will be working overtime to explain the embarassingly bloated profits they are making.

Maybe the gas stations should start giving out condoms with every gas purchase ... we are being screwed; so we might as well be safe .....

[Eric]

And gas at over $2.75 a litre!!!!!!!!! We are paying $1.10 and screaming and hollering at that price.

This may be a silly question; but what happened to all the North Sea oil?

[shillelagh]

Spugs enjoying the refinery closed he says its quiet now....

I told you all about this last week but no one listened. In fact they started shutting the refinery down last Friday because of all the safety measures they have to put in place.

[garinda]

There were no queues at the petrol station on Blackburn Road, when I drove past this afternoon.

[steeljack]

It doesn't make any sense that fuel/petrol prices are going up in the UK , oil is traded in US Dollars on the world market and the US Dollar has collapsed against the UK Pound so the prices you are paying should be coming down not up

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by steeljack

It doesn't make any sense that fuel/petrol prices are going up in the UK , oil is traded in US Dollars on the world market and the US Dollar has collapsed against the UK Pound so the prices you are paying should be coming down not up

How very true but 'Rip off Britain' will never alter.
1.08 GBP per litre UK for 95 Unleaded.
1.36 EUR per litre in France (Came through yesterday)
1.14 EUR per litre in Spain (Got some this morning)
The US $ is down against the two currencies.
It is the first time that I have experienced France charging more for fuel than the UK.
Petrol expected to Increase next week due to trouble in Nigeria and it would not surprise me if an increase is also on the cards due to the strike in Scotland?

[shillelagh]

Do you really want to know something spug was walking past a petrol station and the price on it was £1.45 a litre!!! When i asked if that was petrol or diesel he said he didnt know but all he did know was that next time he went past it was at £1.25 a litre - they said it was a mistake!!!!

[shillelagh]

Oh and spug is dreading em restarting the refinery again....

When it restarts it will be noisy - he had a pair of ear defenders and ear plugs in once when he worked in there when they restarted it after maintenance... and the noise level was a very nice 90 decibels...

[Polly_45]

Huge queues at Asdas in blackburn today waiting to fill up

[baillieman2]

Garinda - remember to take the handbrake off and, hey presto, your fuel consumption will reduce dramatically.