SATURDAY NOVEMBER 04 2000 Fuel tax rebels threaten food supplies BY STEWART TENDLER, VALERIE ELLIOTT AND PHILIP WEBSTER POLICE fear that fuel protesters are secretly planning to blockade the supermarketsB key food distribution centres in their battle for tax cuts. They also believe that despite claims from the protest leaders that the oil refineries are no longer a target, demonstrators will return to fuel depots if they are dissatisfied with Gordon BrownBs response to their demands.

The expected threats to the food supply network have been disclosed to The Times by senior police sources five days before the protesters learn how far the Chancellor will go to meet them in his Pre-Budget Report. A police source said: BWe have intelligence suggesting that there is a potential threat to food supplies. It would be horrendous if a city were denied food.B

Government officials have produced a dossier of comments from leading fuel protesters which they said represented strong evidence that food depots would be targeted next week.

They said that David Handley, the co-chairman of the PeopleBs Fuel Lobby, said when asked by the Today programme this week if food distribution centres would be picketed: BWho can say?B before adding that there could be Bshort sharp attacksB.

Andrew Spence, another lobby member, said: BWe have never said that we would be going back to the refineries. There are plenty of other places for us to demonstrate.B

Robert Burns, who led protests in Grangemouth, said: BAll hell will be breaking loose; it will be Armageddon. People can live without fuel but they cannot live without food.B

The disclosure comes as Britain again appears to be panicking over fuel supplies, with hundreds of stations running dry and closing until more petrol is delivered. Oil companies said that extra tankers were being sent out this weekend and promised that they would work flat out to ensure that stations have normal supplies.

Police sources said that potential food depot targets are now under scrutiny and extensive intelligence operations are under way. Senior officers say they will not allow any attempts to obstruct the passage of food out of warehouses.

Over the past year farmers angry at the way they have been treated over milk prices and lack of support for British produce have halted operations at supermarket warehouses overnight when lorries are loaded and sent out.

All major food firms now operate a Bjust in timeB principle of moving fresh food to shops within days or hours. Blockades could have a critical impact. Sainsbury, Asda, Tesco, Safeway, the Co-op and Iceland operate 91 depots, often on the edge of cities and motorways, and these would be key targets.

Kevin Hawkins, communications director at Safeway and a member of the British Retail Consortium, said last night: BWe just canBt ignore the possibility that protesters will target our depots or even just a handful of depots. We have to operate on the principle that they will try to keep everyone guessing and we will be the last to know.B

Last night Mr Handley said that the protesters had Babsolutely no plans to target fuel depots or food distribution centresB.

Tony Blair led appeals from the Government to the public to avoid panic buying of fuel, although he and his ministers were blamed by retailers for stoking the crisis with their increasingly BmachoB warnings that they would not bow to pressure. The Prime Minister again tried to downplay expectations in advance of the Pre-Budget Report but hinted that pensioners were the priority.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,30224,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 04, 2000

Answers

these stories of panic buying are just a smoke screen. the panic is just not there no signs of vast numbers of people filling cans. it happenned the last yes but that was after the refineries had been blockaded for several days no blockades this time ????. spoke to a ditribution manager from total he said their tanks nearly dry and the same for the majors. the majors were having supply problems. blames it on panic buying what after just one day ????? now they say food shortages due to pos blockades,stir up the sheep, panic food buying follows shortages blamed on panic buyers again. pattern starting to take shape. the gov said all the oil companies had stocked extra fuel for the protest were is it ???? no protest but still no fuel???? something does not add up??? will have to wait and see if a food panic happens in the next few days???.

BEST WISHES BOB

-- bob (Bob@ghoward-oxley.demon.uk.), November 04, 2000.