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Original poster

are you "panic buying" petrol?

120 replies

mumonthenet · 11/06/2008 22:02

possible supply problems in the UK

where I live, in Portugal, since last night people have been queuing for petrol/diesel.

Diesel has now run out in most petrol stations in my town - some are closed, and they are still queuing (at 6pm) for petrol.

Me and Dh "panic" bought last night. We have enough for a week. The truck drivers are striking to force the gov to cut taxes on fuel, and of course, the knock on effect is that we all rush out and buy.

Interesting phenomenon, don't know what will happen.

OP posts:
southeastastra · 12/06/2008 15:47

i just 'panic brought' along with one other at the near empty shell garage.

CaptainUnderpants · 12/06/2008 16:37

So someone please exlpain to me why all of a sudden diesel price over the months has taken over petrol - have we always imported it ?

If we have always imported it then what has happened ? Bouncing Turtel what I am trying to say that is that if we have always imported it and it was once cheaper than petrol then the reasin why it has gone up due to 'importation' is a red herring .

I still beleive that the Govermnet could stop all this but they are too afraid to stand up to the oil companies . UK paying the second highest diesel prices says it all really !.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 12/06/2008 19:35

Article here about the price - not read it properly yet though.

SueW · 12/06/2008 19:49

No-one queueing at any of our local garages today (about 6pm).

CaptainUnderpants · 12/06/2008 20:22

Thank you Kitten - haven't read all of it as yet but picked up on the point that' diesel fuel is taxed more heavily than petrol '

CaptainUnderpants · 12/06/2008 20:23

taxed more in the UK that is

SheikYerbouti · 13/06/2008 10:20

I went to the petrol station at 11 30 last night as normal and there were queues fgs. (Normally, 'tis just me myself and I at that time - and possibly the odd drunk buying snacks on the way home)

I hate all of this hysteria shite, like the whole BSE/last petrol "crisis"/any other media created hype. I remember 10 years ago or whatever sitting with a mate saying how she really wanted steak for dinner, but couldn't eat it "because of BSE." I sat and thought "It's beef, not liquid plutonium, just eat it, you fucking sap."

It just goes to show how gullible we are as a nation, especially those that read the Daily Fascist

katwith3kittens · 13/06/2008 10:23

Oh you've set me off Panic... panic... PANIC !

I'm almost on empty and going away for weekend (assuming I can get there now )

wasabipeanut · 13/06/2008 10:27

LMAO Sheik.

Love it.

wasabipeanut · 13/06/2008 10:30

I'd also like to add that it amuses and pisses me off in equal measure that whilst 9 Ulster MP's have just been bought off with 30 pieces of silver to overturn 800 years of history and oh, the Magna Carta, presumption of innocence etc. that many sections of the media are still obsessed with the price of farking petrol and Wayne and Colleens wedding.

RRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

SheikYerbouti · 13/06/2008 10:32

DON'T PANIC kat.

Just buy what you would normally use for driving the distance you are going.

If we run out, fuck it.

You can't buy loads of petrol and store it anyway - you will run out eventually. Spend your money on wine instead

If we are going to run out, then will will run out.

I bet we don;t though, because Shell are probably pooing their panties and I doubt it will get that far.

If there is a crisis, it will be great, because I do love a good crisis.

DanJARMouse · 13/06/2008 11:49

put £20 in last night as i usually would. no Q's but luckily im petrol as there was no diesel!

SoupDragon · 13/06/2008 11:51

Er... isn't it just SHELL garages that have supply problems?? leaving 90% of petrol stations with no problems at all...

bramblebooks · 13/06/2008 12:15

It's just shell tanker drivers, soupdragon, but here in Cheshire they've blockaded Stanlow oil depot and none of the other tanker drivers are going in at all.

Pumps up bike tyres!

OrmIrian · 13/06/2008 12:21

I don't know about panic buying but we're supposed to be camping this weekend so I should probably fill up as we've only got 1/4 tank left.

Uriel · 13/06/2008 12:25

My local Sainsbury's garage has run out of unleaded.

nervousal · 13/06/2008 12:35

just re emergency workers - A couple of months ago we had this in Scotland re strike at Grangemouth. Here not ALL nurses etc would be eligible to "jump the queues" - only those who use their cars during the course of their work, who use over a certina amount of fuel and who provide life saving services. Queue jumping not allowed to get fuel to get to and from work itself. If there were serious fuel shortages then NHS would have to look at other ways of getting essential personnel to work - e.g. buses etc.

BexieID · 13/06/2008 12:36

I didn't even realise there was any petrol strikes until I saw it on the news last night. I was waiting till today (payday) to get some as I was already into my overdraft. I was planning on getting some after work (8 miles away) but don't want to get stranded if they've not got some as not got enough for the trip back. I'm going to leave for work a wee bit earlier and hope for the best. If I can't get any, i'll blardy have to get the train, get off 2 stops later with Tom, walk up a hill to the PIL, back down again to the train and carry on to work. I will be knackered before I start as had to do this last week when we had a flat tyre!

Original poster
mumonthenet · 13/06/2008 12:59

well, an update from panic portugal. the panic buying emptied every single petrol station, and there wasn't a drop to be had Wednesday night and yesterday, all stations closed. The blockade was lifted early hours of yesterday morning so the petrol stations are slowly getting back to normal.

though Spain is still really bad so watch it if you're going there.

In the meantime, the panickers went to the supermarket and panic bought there. (I didn't! superior kind of emoticon)

This morning half the supermarket shelves are empty but they've just had several massive deliveries of fresh and frozen stuff...so they've even got the maintenance department filling the freezers.

And now, to cap it all, the price of petrol has gone up again today.

OP posts:
lilyloo · 13/06/2008 13:08

Just been to my garage , not shell and busy but no queues , i filled up with £30 as i do normally but noted every pump had similair / more amounts on them so people are filling up when they go i think!

lilyloo · 13/06/2008 13:35

Apparantly other tanker drivers than Shell are supporting them which will have an impact on other suppliers.

misdee · 13/06/2008 13:36

no, but need to fill upthe carand am dreading it.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 13/06/2008 16:16

The media has been desperate to find some panic buying! Radio 5 live this morning had send reported out ound the country, and found motorists buying petrol...normally, and not panicking. They tried to talk it up, but drew a blank and were desperately urgning peopole to phoen or text in if they aaw any panic buying ( what does that look like by the way? Visions of Corporal Jones running about a petrol station in a flap).
And as for newpapers headlines about the gvt 'urging people not to panic' - what do they think will be the outcme of that?
Like others I remember last time, when i hoped it would be an excuse to be off work for a few days. In the event, there were no real shortages. Obviously the plegmatic, stoic, British upper lip...

OrmIrian · 13/06/2008 16:52

I bought a tin of cat food from the corner shop this afternoon. It was the last one! Perhaps I should have tried harder to panic...

poppy34 · 13/06/2008 19:10

radio5 been obsessed with this for weeks...not an hour goes by without a fuel story