April 26, 2008
By Ben Mcconville
The AP
EDINBURGH, Scotland - British motorists are being urged not to hoard gasoline amid rumours that a looming strike at an oil refinery in Scotland could result in rationing.
Photo: Security guards stand outside the Grangemouth oil refinery in Grangemouth, Scotland, Friday April 25, 2008. (AP /Andrew Milligan /PA)
The 48-hour strike over pension issues is due to begin Sunday at the Grangemouth oil refinery in central Scotland.
It is expected to disrupt energy supplies and hinder delivery of Britain's North Sea oil.
Government spokesman John Hutton says there is plenty of gasoline and diesel fuel to meet demand. But he tells the British Broadcasting Corp. the situation could change if people start hoarding.
Not everyone was listening to Hutton's message. Lines of cars formed at several filling stations on Saturday. Many Edinburgh-area stations were limiting purchases to $40 a vehicle, but some still ran out of gasoline and diesel by midmorning.
Prices were also going up. A number of filling stations were charging the equivalent of $2.47 a litre for gasoline Saturday, up from about $2.14 on Monday.
"This is profiteering by the garages and oil companies," said Edinburgh motorist Ian Bain, 44.
The government wants to avoid a repeat of scenes in 2000 when motorists lined up at gas stations as truckers angry at heavily taxed fuel brought Britain to a standstill by blockading refineries.
Refinery owner Ineos shut down production at Grangemouth on Friday before the strike. Oil producer BP PLC said it would shut its Forties Pipeline System, which delivers almost a third of Britain's North Sea oil production and is powered by electricity and steam from Grangemouth, by 6 a.m. Sunday.
The government says the strike could force more than 70 platforms in the North Sea to halt production, at a cost of $99 million a day.
Grangemouth is the major oil supplier to Scotland and parts of northern England, and those areas were expected to feel the greatest impact from the strike by 1,200 workers.
Pat Waters of the Automobile Association said that despite assurances, "people should accept that they will probably be rationed to an amount of petrol to conserve supplies."
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