ONE in three garages in the South of England has run dry after eco-activists blocked oil terminals, fuel campaigners have fumed.
Hundreds of petrol stations across the country are reportedly closed due to the shortages, with the worst hit areas in the south of England.
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Around 1,200 pumps are affected south of Midlands today, according to the Fair Fuel UK Campaign.
In a tweet, Fair Fuel UK Campaign wrote today: “We are getting credible intelligence that 1 in 3 garages have run dry of petrol and/or diesel particularly in the south, because of the ‘stop oil’ amoebas.”
It follows scores of environmental demonstrations at oil terminals in Hertfordshire, Essex and Warwickshire this morning and “exceptionally dangerous” action over the last week.
Members of Just Stop Oil have been chaining themselves to pipes and hiding out underground in massive protests.
Around 800 people have been arrested nationwide, including 338 in Essex, with 29 taken into custody from BP Kingsbury Oil Terminal today.
They were arrested for alleged offences including criminal damage, conspiracy to cause criminal damage and conspiracy to commit public nuisance.
On the UK-wide demos, Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: “We cannot stand by while criminal acts are being committed, and lives are being put at risk, in the name of protest.
“We are not anti-protest. Our job is to preserve life and catch criminals, and that’s what we’re going to do.
“Today’s protest is exceptionally dangerous due to where the protesters have located themselves within the site.
“Our officers have been diligent in ensuring that all protesters know the risks involved, and we’ve been working hard to minimise the dangers this morning.
“Put simply: we don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
The force has said that policing protests in Thurrock had cost Essex Police “in excess of £1 million”.
Warwickshire Police also said there will continue to be a “heightened police presence” over the coming days.
The pump closures come as the cost of petrol and diesel surpasses 150p per litre for the first time.
Find cheap fuel locally
The easiest way to find the cheapest forecourt in your area for petrol, diesel, super unleaded or premium diesel is by comparing prices using an online comparison site.
Website PetrolPrices.com will list the cheapest filling stations in your area.
You need to register with the site, enter your postcode and tell it how far you’re willing to travel for fuel (up to 20 miles) and what fuel type you’re after.
It says it displays the most up-to-date figures across around 8,500 forecourts in the UK, although it is always worth checking locally as prices do change.
Of course, you don’t want to travel too far to save a few pennies per litre or you’ll end up offsetting your savings using extra fuel to drive there.
Also, keep an eye out for fuel discount promotions, particularly from supermarkets.
For example, earlier this month Morrisons offered customers 7p off every litre of fuel if they spent £40 in store.
These offers don’t tend to hang around for long though, so you need to take advantage quickly if you see one.
Families are already facing pressure due to the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills, but now must fork out £83 to fill up a 55-litre car.
Speaking on Thursday, Assistant Chief Constable David Gardner, of Warwickshire Police, said: “I would like to reassure local people that we are making every effort to limit the impact on day-to-day policing across the rest of the county.
“As you would expect, we have contingency plans in place to deal with situations such as this.
“Our officers are flexible in such circumstances and we also have prearranged plans in place to call on support from local forces.
“While we aim to clear disruption as quickly as possible we need to ensure the safety of everyone at the site so this can take time.”
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