Britain: Petrol stations close after wave of panic buying

BY GREG HURST AND ANDREW NORFOLK

PETROL stations across Britain were forced to close yesterday as false rumours of renewed fuel price protests led to extraordinary scenes of panic buying.

In Cardiff, where the rumours began, queues stretched for more than a mile and a half. In Gateshead four people were injured when a bus crashed into a car queueing outside a petrol station. Elsewhere shoppers were reported to be stockpiling food.

Many of the scores of stations that closed were ordered to by police because drivers queueing for petrol were blocking the roads.

Sue Robinson, media director of the Petrol Retailers' Association, said: "People are reacting like this because of last week, which they had never experienced before and they are terrified it will happen again."

Oil companies gave warning last night that the panic buying was jeopardising their efforts to restock the stations. The International Monetary Fund, in its World Economic Outlook report published yesterday, said oil prices might climb in the next few months because of the limited capacity of many producers and the relatively low level of stocks.

Today the Tories will seek to exploit the Government's difficulties by pledging that if elected they would make a "significant" cut in petrol duty.

Yesterday's panic buying appeared to have been prompted by a radio report in Wales on rumours of renewed protests. Last night there were signs of a return to normal, with queues beginning to shorten.

Hauliers involved in last week's protests voiced anger at the defiance shown by Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, in an interview with The Times. Brynle Williams, who led the six-day stand-off outside the Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire, accused Mr Brown of being "antagonistic" after he said that he would not be bound by a 60-day tax-cut deadline set by protest leaders.

The protesters have formed the People's Fuel Lobby to keep up pressure on the Government to cut taxes.

http://www.londontimes.com/news/pages/Times/frontpage.html?999

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), September 20, 2000