Government changes fuel advice after 172% rise in petrol sales - calls for Maude to resign
12 replies, posted
[B]The government has changed its advice to motorists to top up petrol tanks after two days of panic buying.
[/B]It says [B]this is no longer urgent[/B] after the Unite union ruled out a strike by its tanker drivers over Easter.
Meanwhile, [B]several Labour MPs have called for Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude to resign[/B] for earlier advising storing petrol in jerrycans.
[B]A York woman, who suffered severe burns while decanting petrol at home, remains critically ill in hospital.[/B]
On Wednesday, Prime Minister [B]David Cameron told motorists to "top up" their tanks in case of a strike, leading to long queues at petrol stations[/B] across the country.
Up to a third of garages were reportedly [B]forced to turn people away after stocks ran out[/B].
The GMB union said some ambulance drivers were having problems getting fuel - the government though insisted services were continuing as normal.
But a spokesman from the London Ambulance Service said: "We are not experiencing any particular difficulties in refuelling vehicles at the moment."
[B]
He added the service was holding reserve fuel in case of any future industrial action.
[/B]Demand for petrol now seems to be waning - down from a [B]172% rise on Thursday to a 28% rise on Friday[/B], according to independent retailers' group RMI Petrol.The AA described "a rapidly improving picture at fuel stations".
A spokesman said: "[B]The advice for drivers is to resume your normal buying patterns and to adhere to regulations on how much fuel you can carry and store.[/B]"
However, the BBC has had reports on Saturday of queues and shortages continuing at petrol stations in Leeds, Tonbridge in Kent, Egham in Surrey, Bromley in south-east London, Finchampstead in Berkshire and St Albans in Hertfordshire.
[B]There are also reports of stations increasing fuel prices, and limiting sales. In Guildford, Surrey, one petrol station is refusing to sell motorists any more than £25 worth of fuel.
[/B]Motoring experts now warn of a [B]two to three day backlog as hauliers attempt to refuel petrol stations[/B].
A BP spokesperson also said there had been a reduction in demand on the forecourts but it still had a few sites which had completely run out of stock and were awaiting deliveries.
In the meantime, Unite would need to give seven days' notice if they plan to strike after Easter.
[B]A political row has broken out in response to Mr Maude's comments earlier in the week.
[/B]Senior Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin said he thought [B]the government may have been trying to divert peoples' attention away from a difficult week for the Tory party and the coalition.
[/B]"Really there should not have been any move to encourage people to buy more than they normally buy without consulting the industry first, and[B] I think that was the mistake,[/B]" he said.[B]
John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, Karl Turner, MP for Hull East, and Labour Lord Toby Harris are among those who have called for Mr Maude to resign if it turns out his comments contributed to the burns accident suffered by 46-year-old Diane Hill.
[/B]Mr Mann added: "[Francis Maude] was whipping up hysteria, which caused the queues as well. But he went further, and gave out advice that was wrong."
Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi responded angrily to the calls for Mr Maude to stand down and[B] accused Labour of attempting to score "political points" out of a "personal tragedy".
[/B]Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the government had mishandled the row between the tanker drivers and their employers and there should have been more attempt for talks between the parties involved.
"[B]Starting to say instead fill up your tank, causing panic, getting out the jerry cans, has led to the queues, to the shortages, to the running out of petrol.[/B]"
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59378000/gif/_59378607_fuel_data_304.gif[/img]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17570627[/url]
People are fucking stupid and selfish; they can't just go on strike they've got to give notice but still you get massive queues of morons who think that if they don't have a full tank of petrol they'll be stranded somewhere or something.
-snip stupid, sorry-
if only this shit would happen in the US right now too....
Surprised there is so much panic just because one politican says to top up, doesn't people have SOME common sense and own train of thought?
[QUOTE=The fox;35370548]Surprised there is so much panic just because one politican says to top up, doesn't people have SOME common sense and own train of thought?[/QUOTE]
"Personal responsibility? Well I suppose I have to walk myself down to the offy to nick my special brew. When I don't get one of my kids to do it for me, I mean."
[QUOTE=Doozle;35370140]People are fucking stupid and selfish; they can't just go on strike they've got to give notice but still you get massive queues of morons who think that if they don't have a full tank of petrol they'll be stranded somewhere or something.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. Strikes, by law, require 7 days of notice before they can go into effect. And they've already said they wouldn't strike during Easter.
All of this is completely unneccisary thanks to Maude's and Cameron's dumb comments.
[editline]31st March 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=The fox;35370548]Surprised there is so much panic just because one politican says to top up, doesn't people have SOME common sense and own train of thought?[/QUOTE]
It is a bit odd, but I suppose it's because all we've heard is the government warnings, rather than what the union has been saying.
"I'm not saying you should panic buy, I'm just saying you should buy gas now, because in a few days there won't be any."
Fucking go to shell, everything is covered except for their super unleaded. Fuck of you scamming cunts.
(I even tested the covered ones and they worked)
Personally, I would appreciate a 'head's up' from a leader about a possible interruption in fuel supply. However, how I deal with it is my responsibility. If I'm a dumbass and burn myself with gasoline, that's my fault.
If people are going to call warnings 'whipping up hysteria' then it sort of ends any chance anyone will ever warn you of anything in the future. Why would I stick my neck out to warn you if I'm going to be the scapegoat for your dumbass actions?
[QUOTE=Flem;35377369]Fucking go to shell, everything is covered except for their super unleaded. Fuck of you scamming cunts.
(I even tested the covered ones and they worked)[/QUOTE]
Ha, that's the best bit. My car only runs on super unleaded and people looked confused as to how I was filling up while they can't.
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;35377471]Personally, I would appreciate a 'head's up' from a leader about a possible interruption in fuel supply. However, how I deal with it is my responsibility. If I'm a dumbass and burn myself with gasoline, that's my fault.
If people are going to call warnings 'whipping up hysteria' then it sort of ends any chance anyone will ever warn you of anything in the future. Why would I stick my neck out to warn you if I'm going to be the scapegoat for your dumbass actions?[/QUOTE]
Which is why strikes require 7 days of notice, no one should put out such "warnings" when they aren't even sure it's gonna happen, no matter who they are.
Also they have an obligation to warn us(when they're sure it's gonna happen), if they're then considered scapegoats for stupidity then they have to deal with it.
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;35377471]Personally, I would appreciate a 'head's up' from a leader about a possible interruption in fuel supply. However, how I deal with it is my responsibility. If I'm a dumbass and burn myself with gasoline, that's my fault.
If people are going to call warnings 'whipping up hysteria' then it sort of ends any chance anyone will ever warn you of anything in the future. Why would I stick my neck out to warn you if I'm going to be the scapegoat for your dumbass actions?[/QUOTE]
The heads up will be when the union members give the legally required 7 days notice. This top up advice is fucking dumb, there isn't going to be a strike for at least 9 days (they are talking with an mediator on Monday).
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