I've got half a tank of petrol in my car at the moment. Luckily I don't use the car for - well, anything essential when I think about it. I was going to ask whether I should rush around to the petrol station to fill it up but I think I've answered my own question. As you were.

'Salright Dave's got it covered anyhow. Good ole Dave.

Why not use a bike for a while instead.. save money and the planet.

Most shortages are caused by the lemmings that rush to fill up at the merest hint of a strike.

I seem to remember quite a while ago that someone started a rumour that there was going to be a shortage of toilet rolls. Within about two days the supermarkets had none left. Or maybe it was bread.

There's little to go on...

I have just got back from Reading where the Shell garage in Whitley was out of regular diesel and petrol.

But filled up at Sainsbury's no problem. Drove past many other garages on the A4 and there were no long queues or signs of panic!

BP was very busy earlier, first time I've ever had to queue. Only went because my friend texted me and let me know of the possibility of problems..

Did anyone hear about the bread shortage?

...and the pastie shortage.... There's been a run on them since 'Our Dave' hinted he eats them all the time....




Save a couple of litres of petrol, yet meanwhile in the North Sea there's a zillion gallons of LPG jetting into the atmosphere uncontrolled.. I think 'Saving the Planet' is a lost cause

Still undecided about whether to panic yet. I'll mull it over. In other news, the Apprentice is on later. Yipee! I know I really shouldn't but I'm afraid that I'm an addict. Sirallun is hilarious, sometimes intentionally!

Well. you're fired! It's Lord Sugar now

For those of us who are sad enough to follow the Guardian's live blog of the show he is, and will always be, Sirallun. It's nearly time folks...what japes and antics can we expect this week?

Well, I cracked. Drove up to Tesco after watching Sirallun do his thing and filled up. No signs of panic buying (we were all buying very calmly) and, blatantly ignoring the Prime Minister's advice, I didn't take my jerrycan with me even though it's only a quarter full.

Mid afternoon I can assure you, Texaco and BP were both packed.
Panic buying though, I think the advice of the government was very, very bad - that being to "ALL GO FILL UP"... basically causing a mass panic...
Oh well this bloody government, eh?

I think they were right to warn us, if there is likely to be a strike and a shortage then we should get extra stocks in now.

Thank goodness that at least one newspaper is taking a calm and level headed view of all this:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/311155...in-petrol-panic

Apparently the government line now is that we should only fill our tanks when they're half empty. Ironically, one way of reducing fuel consumption is not to fill your tank: http://goo.gl/0x5w

This government fuel advice is ridiculous, its nearly £1.50 per litre, what an excellent way to cash in and boost fuel duty revenue for them. Fuel is a luxury commodity these days and the government are using this Panic state to get away from the issue that fuel duty is too much. Watch as the price continues to rise through this Panic period. I cannot afford to constantly keep my tank full and burn the extra fuel to cart it around.

These MP's need to leave London and see how the rest of the country copes under the massive pressure of job losses, threat of job losses and ever increasing Household bills.

All very well this "panic buying" but surely everyone's tank only holds so much and we are not going to drive any further so there should, in theory, be a shortage for a while and then level out again.
As I say, we are not actually burning any more and the tankers are still currently delivering?
Surely not many these days have jerry cans standing around in their garage??

It is not a bad end of year bunser for treasury though is it!

I'd also like to thank the idiot Tories (sorry, just leave out Tories, we know who I mean), for starting a rush on fuel. What a load of pond life they are.

Unsure on that one.

Although I haven't currently I do need to get some form of backup, probably a plastic can with 5 litres or so. Besides knowing my luck I would keep it in my boot and it would slosh around everywhere!

Interesting fuel kept for more than about 4-5 weeks can go sedintary and not only cause possible blockages in your fuel system, but will lose it's performance as well. "stale"

Mopeds can still get amazing gas mileages.

My Honda PF-50 can do about 170mpg. I can keep a jerrycan's worth going for weeks.

The conspiracy theorist in me reckons that if they make us all top up now, then the effect of any strike will be partially mitigated (as trucks are reloading petrol stations as we speak).

But the real message should be - this is a finite resource and won't last forever, are you prepared for when it run's out (or becomes prohibitively expensive)?

I agree Adrian.

About time we all went electric or to fuel cell power.

And now you're hogging all the chip fat for your disco, what do we do?

Civilisation is breaking down in Dorset, I see: http://goo.gl/cxFqA

Idiotic handling of this by Maude and his coalition mates is to blame. Maybe there is something in the suggestion that they've engineered the crisis to take our minds off their abysmal handling of the economy http://goo.gl/um8Ku but I don't think they're that clever.

Who on earth thought it was a good idea to put George 'Don't Call me Gideon' Osborne in charge of anything, let alone the economy? We are, ladies and gentlemen, ******.

I think they've played an absolute blinder..

At a time when fuel prices are at an all time high, they've got you to buy more of it. (and even store it at home)

This will help the Oil companies, and the exchequer, (since tax is levied on the higher price).

Remember, there is no strike yet, and any strike action has to be preceded by a given period of 7 days notice. The earliest one could start would be Easter Weekend and that's only if the ACAS talks don't start, which so far, all parties have said they'd attend.

Any fuel shortage now is solely caused by the lame-brained not thinking it through. (and don't try the "I was only following orders" defence). Funny how easily some people panic isn't it?

Are we still allowed to call them jerry cans?

Even if the zealots do go on strike, the armed forces will come to the rescue plus other relief drivers.

I'd sack the strikers if I was PM. We have plenty of unemployed who would like a job.

No. It's racist.

What these lemmings as niceley put by Jeffg that if there is a strike then the unions will need to give 7 days notice once a date has been set (which has not been announced as of yet) so does these mean we will have to put up with these stupid lemmings panic buying for the next few weeks I think they need to get a life

Just stop and think for a minute... last quarter and there was no growth in the economy this quarter there appears to be a negative growth in the economy... this means if there are two quarters of no growth in the economy we are officialy in recesssion... hey presto Dave announces a petrol tanker strike even though a date has not even been discussed yet and the unions need to give seven days notice anyway.
Now how does Dave get people to spend wildly and heavily before the end of the month and get the figures to say we have had just even a small growth in the economy rather than no growth? Hey presto no official recession!

All Dave has to do is announce a possible petrol tanker strike - even though the normal government procedure would be to try and play down the effects of a stike and persuade people not to panic buy - good old Dave he knows how to save the economy eh?

now that makes perfect sense

His political stance is all smoke and mirrors. Remember his trade was as a PR man.

Here is a hint: Walk, cycle, or go by bus/train etc

Are you seriously suggesting that you'd be happy with huge vehicles carrying thousands of gallons of highly inflammable fuel being driven past school playgrounds and through our town centres by the sort of person who posts to this forum?

I went to Sainsbury's for petrol and they had run out of diesel and petrol was just about to run out as well. The same at other forecourts. In fact the woman behind the counter said within half an hour they were going to close. They were expecting new deliveries in the afternoon.

Eat more chips

I would rather join the greens and hog all the resources for myself whilst lecturing others with weasel words.

That's an interesting thought. But if this fuel fiasco is the standard of this Government's spin, then they need some better doctors. I wonder if Mr Mandelson is available!

Reading the cooments on a proposed strike is definately a good PR stunt by dodgy Dave and his cronies, I think I read today that the extra fuel being sold has raised Dave a cool 32 million finest English Pounds, oh and then they want to rob us some more by adding 3 and a bit pence to a litre of fuel, nice!!!!

Please don't be so ridiculous!

Oh dear, did we miss the little smiley face then ?

£32 Million? - a few hours interest on the national debt.

It may have raised £32million - but it would have been bought anyway, just spread over a few more days.

Not the stuff being stockpiled in peoples' garages.

Well, weeks maybe (and after the end of the financial year)! Seriously, what were and are the government thinking issuing a fuel warning now? What good would it do?

Your clearly already there with the second bit, happy to talk more about the first bit.

Don't waste your time on a Tory stooge!