Prepare for fuel shortages: union warns of blockades

Anger over soaring fuel costs and industrial action by tanker drivers threaten to bring widescale disruption to supplies of petrol next month.

The Unite union said yesterday it was balloting its members on possible strike action which could hit deliveries to petrol stations by its drivers because of what it described as the "constant attack" on their conditions by employers.

Meanwhile, Andrew Spence, spokesman for the People's Fuel Lobby, once again evoked the spectre of the 2001 protests which saw oil terminals blockaded and petrol pumps run dry. Mr Spence said meetings had been held and that the protests would be "activated within three weeks".

It puts further pressure on David Cameron, who has indicated his support for a stabiliser mechanism which would see taxes on fuel fall as prices rise.

The cost of filling a family car now stands at £60-£70. While the price of unleaded was around 85p in 2001, today it costs more than half as much again. Driving groups argue that Britain has the cheapest fuel in Europe before the addition of taxes which account for two-thirds of the price paid at the pump.

Hugh Bladon, a co-founder of the Association of British Drivers accused Mr Cameron of reneging on his promise to implement the price stabiliser. "We would support anyone who makes a proper protest about the price of fuel. It has gone through the roof and is due to go up again in April. It is grossly unfair on an awful lot of people."

Kate Gibbs, of the Road Haulage Association, warned that every penny on diesel cost firms £600 per vehicle. "If the price continues to rise you will see the costs passed on. It will come to the point where customers will say 'I am not paying any more'."