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 16 October 2008 02:33 BST

No need to panic-buy petrol, motorists told

Saturday, 26 Apr 2008 18:52
Don't panic buy, motorists told
Motorists have been told not to buy more petrol than they need in anticipation of a strike planned at Scotland's Grangemouth refinery on Sunday.

On Thursday trade secretary John Hutton told the House of Commons increased imports would counter the effect of the refinery's closure, which has now shut down ahead of the strike.

BP, which operates the Forties pipeline that supplies the site, also said it would have to shut down supply due to safety issues.

Workers are striking in response to pension changes planned by the plant's owners, Ineos, whose managers union leaders have accused of acting "cynically".

According to the Unite union the pension scheme at the heart of the dispute will close on August 1st, part of what it calls "incendiary attacks" by the company.

Ineos hit back, however, saying progress has been made on safeguarding the pension scheme for existing staff and that Unite is continuing the strike solely on the basis of protecting future employees' interests.

"Unite are asking their members to strike in support of non-existent colleagues," Ineos chief executive Tom Crotty said.

And yesterday an AA spokesman warned motorists not to panic buy as there is plenty of fuel available.

The spokesman said: "There is absolutely no reason for the fuel to run out. When the oil refinery in Essex went on fire last year, the industry was able to maintain supply.

"Where we do get into problems is when people do panic buy, and we have seen some areas where people have gone mad."

The AA said panic-buying could push fuel prices up as petrol stations, keen to avoid supplies running out due to a surge in demand, increase their prices to deter motorists from buying.

"I would not call this profiteering, I would call this defending their stocks," the spokesman added.

Fuel prices are also likely to go up in Scotland because retailers will be forced to import from elsewhere.

The refinery processes about 200,000 barrels of crude oil a day and supplies most of Scotland's demand for fuel.

The AA advised people to bear in mind that queuing up to buy petrol will waste money in itself and it would be better to try other stations first.End of story


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