anyways, who`s the bloke with the big hooter in your avatar ?

To anyone who is bitching about queuing to fill up - try living in a rural area and having to drive in to work each day. We tried to fill up on Monday evening (to last the week) and most of the petorl stations in Grantham had signs up " no fuel", "diesel only", and one already had "emergency vehicles only". We ended up queuing for 45 minutes at the only one left open and yes, I did fill a large plastic can which is for my track day next Monday in case it's really bad by then. Why should I waste £90 paid for the track day because I didn't have the foresight to get petrol in for it? As for wife getting into town for work each day - her job doesn;t stop if she doesn't turn up, so if the cvar doesn't run, they will expect her to get there somehow. That means taxis, assuming they have fuel still. At the end of the day it doesn't matter to me if the shortage is because of the action, or because of panic buying. It is sitll a shortgage and I have to take steps as I see fit.

Sorry if it's bitchy ... but the red mist came down reading the "r'soles queuing" comments above.

Right then ... I just watched the lunchtime news and only ahandfuil of protesters turned out today so there is no interruption to fuel. No interruption other than some garages selling a whole week's worth in one day and so having to wait for the next scheduled delivery.

According to the AA Motoring Trust who monitor pump prices around the country, the average price actually fell on Monday, but yesterday the prices went up which is shouldn't have done (price of oil went down). This gives credence to the rumours that some garages are profiteering and pushing prices up in the panic. They are expecting the prices to drop to below "pre Katrina" prices, but it won't be until the current supply/demand settles down, so probably week after next. Retailer association say prices should come down next week by about 4p per litre.

Here endeth the news. :sing:

[Edited on 14-9-2005 by HW]

Indeed. Vote for whoever you like, but it won't change. The global oil market is dominated by the US, who will do whatever it takes to protect their oil supplies. Instability in the middle east and ever increasing demand from China/India, coupled with a lack of refining capacity means lower oil prices are improbable to say the least.

To my mind, we (as the Western developed world) only have ourselves to blame for allowing ourselves to become so totally dependant on a natural resource with limited stocks, located predominantly in unstable areas of the world. It really is about time alternative fuels were developed.

:lol:

It's Gonzo the Unemployed!

:lol:

Oh, so am I now ... :(

Interesting to see how our cousins over the water are dealing with the massive increase in fuel prices (by my reckoning they're at about £1.71 a US gallon)

From Reuters:
BOSTON (Reuters) - A growing number of American automobile owners are so infuriated by rising gasoline prices that they are refusing to pay and speeding off in their cars from gas stations after filling their tanks.

Since Hurricane Katrina disrupted supplies and sent prices soaring, a flurry of what gasoline retailers call "drive offs" have taken place in New Hampshire -- a state whose car license plates are engraved with the motto: "Live Free or Die."

"I think we're seeing an increase in it because of the increase in gas prices," said Lt. Paul Leger of the police department in the state capital Concord, echoing comments by gas retailers across the state.

"We were just experiencing a wealth of drive-offs," Peterborough Oil Company owner Joe Hart said in the Concord Monitor, a New Hampshire daily.

"It's all shapes and sizes and ages of people who, for some reason, think they're shaking their fist at the oil-producing people, but it actually hurts us quite a bit," he said.

Americans have been stunned by record gasoline prices after devastation from Hurricane Katrina.

Nicki Richard, a Shell station manager, said the number of drive-offs from her business in the New Hampshire state capital had climbed over the summer but spiraled out of control after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.

Gasoline prices vaulted to well over $3 a gallon in many parts of the United States after the hurricane shut down most of the region's oil production and refineries. Gasoline had sold for about $2.60 a gallon before the hurricane hit.

By September 1, Richard's store and other franchises in the area began requiring customers to pay the cashier before pumping, the Concord Monitor reported.

"Drive-offs were continually rising as the price of gas was continually rising, and they just started getting out of control," she said. "This makes it easier on the cashiers. They were writing down every single license plate."

Heh, no muppet avatar required!



Ah nuts. Sorry to hear that mate. I've been offered a couple of jobs already but nothing that I really want so I'm trying to hold them off until something better comes along...

As for fuel, yeah I queued up outside Sainsburys just up the road yesterday to fill the car up at 91.9 for unleaded. The car was on red and took 47.50 worth, so it definitely needed it!

I was talking to the guy outside directing traffic and he said people had been queueing since 6am that morning and they'd just had a tanker in (at 11am) to restock. He said it would last until 10pm at that rate when he had two more turning up. Both the other local supermarkets (Tesco and Asda) were closed as both didn't have any petrol!

[Edited on 14-9-2005 by antonye]

no Que's in Glasgow

cant say iv'e seen any queues
filled bike up at 5.40ish pm and there was only one other car there