Panic at the Pumps in the UK.

reply to post by diddy1234


Hmmm, I wonder whether the PM would ever come out and advise us all to take sensible precautions with our savings, say withdrawing 2/3rds of our pay at cashpoints and into cash rather than 1/3rd due to a possible oncoming problem with the economy or a bank?

Or withdrawing perhaps 2/3rds or all of our savings rather than the normal amounts from banks that 'may' be likely to default in a week or two - but only if it's safe and convenient to do so?

Would that be "the right thing to do"?

It's not the strike or even Francis Maud MP that annoys me.

What grinds my gears are the moronic, greedy sheeple who continuously act like a brain dead herd.

The sheeple are just hysterical and selfish in the extreme.

Everybody will know when the strike does happen there will be 7 days notice, more than enough time to get what you will use for a week.

When there is a strike it will only be for a day or two, if longer then the Army will deliver the fuel.

These idiots behave like there was a fuel shortage rather than a dispute.

Cosmic..

reply to post by curioustype


Hmm, it does state at the bottom of that link they do not know if she usually stores fuel or not. Daft as it sounds, i know a few round here that do and have done for years - that said, they would not dream of decanting inside (being experienced).

If you are interested, here is the latest updated local link:

Updated link

It sounds like a horrific incident, poor daughters also (and elderly neighbour).

reply to post by Cosmic4life


Plus, if our media hadn't been running these messages continuously for days, whipping up the frenzy* - which was let's be honest triggered by some poor statements by government - we would enter the strike and it's run up in a better position from which to apply rationing should it be required.

(*oh I know the media have 'balanced' their reporting with articles on how many view the panic buying as wrong, but really - of course just by giving this topic soooo much airtime, and headline billing, especially under the umbrella headlines of 'panic buying at the pumps' they are inevitably party to whipping up the frenzy aren't they?)

It takes two .

reply to post by Flavian


I find it VERY difficult to anticipate that it was not due in some way to either knowledge or suspicion that the normal alternative (to obtaining a relatively small amount - a kitchen "jug" - so perhaps £5-10?) seemed more difficult or impossible to do - due entirely or in part to the results or news of the current fuel panic buying and petrol station depletions.

As you say, it doesn't sound like these people have done this before. They've not only got to decant the fuel, but then work out a way to get it from the "jug" (open?) into the car filler spout. I may be wrong, but I don't think you can just pour it in from a jug with modern cars - don't they usualy have devices and traps in the spout that make that tricky and require a certain length/shape nozzle? Perhaps you could employ a hose - but from a jug - you're right, this doesn't sound like this has been done before by them?

reply to post by curioustype


There was still fuel at all of the 4 nearby (within 2 miles) fuel stations at the time this happened yesterday which does make me wonder to be honest. I know because i was busy getting some - and no it wasn't panic buying, it was car on red buying!

reply to post by Flavian


Well, the strike has been called off by UNITE - at least for now - so what was all that about?

However, where I live, some stations have much depleted stocks, some have actually shut without new deliveries due for days, etc.....

So here we are - living with the consequences of government and media speculation and highlighting of a problem that may never have happened in the first place?

In a couple of days time when some people are still suffering the consequences, I wonder whether the government's defence statements about their strategy - or lack of - will still sound so clever?

Let's hope they at least learn their lesson the next time - as the strike may yet happen.

reply to post by curioustype


I honestly think rolling 24 news is the worst invention of the past couple of decades. It just massively inflames pretty every topic they cover continuously. Frankly, i for one would love to see huge fines being handed out to news networks globally for completely irresponsible coverage of news and events.

Originally posted by badazz
the usa produces more oil than it consumes now, and we still pay more. why? because our oil belongs to multinational corporations intent on exploiting americans, while our intelligence agencies and foreign policy and military support this corporate rape against national sovereignity

While I appreciate your anger at the fuel prices in America, I have limited sympathy due to the fact that fuel pretty much everywhere else in the world is much much higher. I was in Texas one year and the guys who I was staying with couldn't believe what we in England pay for petrol. I think they felt kind of bad considering they were complaining about their 'high' prices a few mintues before.

reply to post by Brad-H

Election year... High gas prices.... We'll see something like this in the US too closer to ballot time.

Brad-H ....Are you ok dude? Your signature is really sad.

Source

But Baroness Warsi, Conservative party co-chairman, said it was better for the Government to prepare drivers than to allow the pumps to run dry after a strike.

She told the radio show: "The Easter Bank holiday being traditionally when most people get the car out, it would have been deeply irresponsible for the Government to sit on its hands and say we're doing nothing."

Describing her trip to a forecourt to fill up yesterday, she added: "I spoke to one chap and he said there are queues but we're not going to run out.

"Of course we now have queues but we're not running out of fuel because that fuel is being topped up."

Hang on, UNITE weren't due to announce a strike until Monday, and have to give a week's notice, so WHY was it a good idea for our PM to begin telling us to alter our fuel purchasing behaviour THIS early?

Plus, if you're going to enter into fuel supply disruption, don't you want as much fuel as possible in the pumps (to ration to essential/priority services/customers) rather than hoarded in private vehicles and garages?

I really don't understand Baroness Warsi's logic there?

Hey, just had an idea. Lets get rid of the sheeple with...

"There might be a funeral directors strike soon."

If their reactions to a pending petrol strike are to be judged, they will all commit suicide to use a funeral director before the strike.

with my cynical hat on - its the end of the tax year tomorrow - what a good time for all that extra VAT to be raked in to buffer the coffers

I'm very cynical and suspicious about all of this....hopefully it's just ATS induced paranoia but I can't help wondering why we are being so strongly encouraged to stockpile fuel, whether in cars or in jerry cans. Are the government really so stupid that they would just run their mouths with no real thought as to the consequences? Oh wait a minute.......maybe!

I'm also VERY suspicious that more hasn't been made of the safety inplications. Petrol is phenomenally volatile and at very low vapour percentages, which means that a mix of just 1% vapour in air can ignite. The general public don't know, or have forgotten how dangerous a substance this is...I'm a petrol station manager, so I have to deal with this crap day in day out. And no, you can't fill a paddling pool with petrol and drive it home, by the way....I absolutely guarantee I'm not making that up. Carrier bags, Lucozade bottles, old paint tins and cardboard boxes are no good either.

We are all taught that we can't allow customers to fill more than two cans, as stockpiling fuel at home is actually illegal, regrdless of the petrol regs that govern the transportation of fuel not in a vehicle tank, but I would have to research which legislation this is covered by. Does anyone know?

Maybe there are bigger fuel price hikes coming down the pipe, and we are being made to feel that we must stock up at all costs...who knows? And the North Sea gas leak issue...already there are warnings of gas shortages later in the year if Total don't get it fixed. So...fuel stockpiling and gas supply shortages...possibly.

I'm seeing lots of little bits of what *may* be a bigger pattern of lies and confusion. I don't believe it's all coincidence.

Originally posted by mytheroy
Sounds like a Observation tactic, To see what would happen if a fuel crisis really did happen. or when.

There is that,but it also seems to divert attention away from the appalling "millionaires"budget that was coming under increased fire.Not to mention swelling the treasuries coffers with the revenue from those extra fuel sales.

I sincerely hope that we are not as easy to manipulate and control like this should things get really nasty,unfortunately,if all it takes are a few words by a government minister to initiate this kind of panic when there isn't even any "crisis" what hope do we have?

Originally posted by IgnorantSpecies
Correct me if I am wrong,
but couldn't MP Francis Maude be liable for his comments?

Exactly like yelling fire in a theatre.No oops sorry but alas it will never happen

reply to post by celticdog


Do not see how to be honest. First of all they would have to prove that the lady in question only had fuel because of the "strikes" and this in itself would be difficult because despite all the speculation there is currently absolutely no evidence this is the case. It may seem likely or even probable but it has not been confirmed.

As i said above, i would have a problem with such a claim because all of the local petrol stations still had fuel - i had my choice of where to fill up at the time this lady was setting fire to herself. Therefore the daughter also had a choice of at least 4 petrol stations within a couple of miles of her.

I also hate the blame culture. She decanted fuel next to a lit gas cooker - what do you think would happen under such circumstances? It was an incredibly stupid and reckless action that has cost her terribly. Do we need to sanction for all cases of stupidity? What about next time someone decides to sunbathe on the road and gets run over? Or decides to drink bleach because their is a bacteria outbreak somewhere?

Personally, i would like to see people take responsibility for their own actions instead of looking for someone to blame.

Here ya go....all the legal stuff about how much and where. Havent had time to read, but here it is.

www.hse.gov.uk...


METAL CONTAINERS
5 The Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929 exempt certain quantities of petrol kept in metal containers from licensing requirements. The petrol must only be kept for the purposes of refuelling internal combustion engines and must not be for sale.

6 Up to 275 litres of petrol can be kept in any one storage place without a licence. The allowable quantity is reduced when the petrol is kept in or near buildings, or near public thoroughfares or other flammable substances (see below). In calculating the 275 litre limit, the petrol in the fuel tanks of vehicles in the storage area is included in the total.

7 Metal containers must be constructed so as to be reasonably secure against breakage and to prevent leakage of liquid or vapour. They should be marked with the words "petroleum-spirit" and "highly flammable".

8 The maximum container capacity for keeping petrol is 10 litres unless the following conditions are met:

a) the storage place is more than 6m from a building, highway or public footpath,and;

b) there is spillage retention at the storage place (eg retaining wall, trench), and;

c) the licensing authority is given written notice of the storage place before it is used.

This does not include petrol in the fuel tank of a vehicle.

9 Note that there is no restriction on the number of containers that can be kept as long as the 275 litre maximum limit is not passed.

10 If the storage place is less than 6m from any building, stack of timber or other inflammable substance it can only be kept in the fuel tank of a vehicle and up to two 10 litre containers on a motor vehicle, motor boat, aircraft or hovercraft unless notice in writing is given to the licensing authority.

11 Where petrol is kept in a building (or a place attached to a building) used as a dwelling or place where people assemble, there must be a substantial floor or partition separating the petrol storage from the rest of building. The floor or partition must not be readily inflammable. Where the partition (not a floor) has an opening it must be fitted with a self closing door made of fire resisting material. In these circumstances a maximum of two 10 litres containers can be kept. Petrol in the fuel tank of a vehicle is not included in this amount.

PLASTIC CONTAINERS
12 The Petroleum-Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982 allow plastic containers to be used as well as metal. They exempt from the need for a licence certain amounts of petrol kept in plastic containers for the purposes of refuelling internal combustion engines and not for sale.

13 For storage in plastic container without a licence the containers must:

a) be constructed of suitable materials;

b) have maximum capacity of five litres;

c) be designed and constructed properly;

d) have appropriate markings or labels;

and the quantities that can be stored are:

i) two containers can be kept on any motor vehicle, motor boat, aircraft or hovercraft;

ii) plus two further containers can be in a safe place in any domestic premises;

iii) plus two more containers can be kept in any other safe place at least 6m from the first.

These quantities are in addition to any petrol kept in metal containers.

reply to post by caitlinfae


Thanks for posting. I am giving you a star because people clearly need help with what i would regard as common sense issues.

Originally posted by spolvil
with my cynical hat on - its the end of the tax year tomorrow - what a good time for all that extra VAT to be raked in to buffer the coffers

are you sure about that? i was led to understand the tax year ends/starts 4th april. another five days of penny building for the gubbermint. i guess this additional revenue is to make up for the private dinner fundraisers currently on hold. guess the wheely bins at the back of no.10 wil be starting to ming attracting flies whilst murdock rummages about looking for more dirt!
f