Petrol stations in the Burnham-On-Sea area are reporting long queues as motorists panic buy fuel ahead of a potential tanker driver strike.
Queues have been forming outside petrol stations including the Total garage in Burnham Road, pictured above, and the Texaco garage in Berrow Road.
Demand has shot up across the UK after government ministers advised people to top up in case of a strike.
A staff member at Burnham’s Total garage told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It has been incredibly busy since Tuesday. We’ve received extra deliveries this week to cope with demand and more supplies are on the way.”
The queues may have increased due to in part to the temporary closure of Burnham’s Esso petrol station, which is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance this week.
Government ministers have rejected retailer claims across the country that their advice has caused the ‘panic buying’. Anticipating a strike they describe as “completely wrong”, ministers had called for motorists to keep their cars “topped up” but urged people not to queue.
No strike is fixed and conciliation service Acas says it hopes to set up talks by Monday, making action over Easter now less likely. Some 90% of UK forecourts are supplied by the Unite union’s 2,000 or so members, who are calling for minimum standards of working conditions and pay.
The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents around 5,500 garages, said: “This is exactly what we didn’t want – people panic buying. Deliveries are still being made to garages and we are advising people to continue with their normal buying habits.”
Pictured: Top, the busy scenes at Burnham’s Total garage on Thursday and, above, at the Texaco garage in Berrow Road (Pic: Tristan Bacon)
