Drivers begin panic-buying fuel

 

Crucial talks aimed at averting a strike by hundreds of tanker drivers have been held amid signs some drivers are panic-buying petrol.

Leaders of the Unite union met officials of two companies working on Shell contracts in a bid to resolve a row over pay.

The talks looked likely to adjourn later and continue on Thursday, with time running out on averting a four-day stoppage from 6am on Friday.

One in 10 filling stations across the UK could be hit by the strike. The Government has urged drivers not to panic-buy fuel, but there were queues at some garages.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "We want the public to continue to buy as normal so as to avoid creating problems that might otherwise not exist."

Contingency plans include allowing suppliers to share information about stocks without falling foul of competition laws. Fuel supplies to the emergency services would also be maintained in the event of shortages.

The pay row has erupted because members of Unite claim they are paid the same now as they were in 1992, just under £32,000 a year, despite their working week being 11 hours longer.

A spokesman for the Business Department said it was "inevitable" that some petrol stations would run out of fuel if the industrial action went ahead.

The Petrol Retailers Association said it had not received any reports of panic buying from members. Petrol sales had remained steady, although buying patterns suggested households were using second cars less frequently.

Despite the reassurances, queues began building at one petrol station near Aintree in Liverpool. At the Asda petrol station near Aintree racecourse, staff put up a sign saying that they had run out of diesel.