Talks resume as fuel tanker strike ends

Fuel tanker drivers for one of Britain's biggest energy firms have ended a four-day strike but look set to take further industrial action later this week if a pay dispute is not resolved.

Fuel deliveries to Shell forecourts resumed early on Tuesday after the strike ended at 6am.

Union officials and managers from two companies contracted by Shell, Hoyer and Suckling, were set to resume talks on Tuesday in a bid to resolve the dispute but have warned they will take further action if their demands are not met .

The industrial action affected fuel deliveries to around nearly 600 Shell forecourts across the country, with the company saying nearly a fifth of its 582 garages had completely run out of fuel.

As the government urged the public to avoid panic buying fuel, one petrol station near Exeter hiked petrol prices to a whopping £1.99 a litre, compared with a regional average of £1.18, media reports said.

The forecourt owner, however, rejected claims of profiteering and said the move was simply a bid to halt panic buying and avoid running out of fuel altogether.

The pay dispute centres around the tanker drivers' salary, which union officials say has remained unchanged since 1992, despite the fact they work longer hours.

Should the negotiations fail, a second four-day strike has been planned for Friday morning.