Thought you'd like to read this, more crap for us up here....
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Motorists have been urged not to panic buy fuel amid warnings that
the shutdown of Scotland's only crude oil refinery could lead to
shortages.
Ineos claims it could have to close its refinery at Grangemouth for a
month on safety grounds ahead of a strike by 1,200 members of the
Unite union.
Industry analysts told the BBC that there is no need for drivers to
stock up with petrol at the pumps.
First Minister Alex Salmond urged the union and Ineos to enter into
talks.
Speaking at the SNP spring conference in Edinburgh, he said: "Both
sides should stop debating with each other over the airwaves, return
to the negotiating table and stay there until they resolve their
differences."
The 48-hour strike is to be held on 27 and 28 April. Ineos started
its shutdown of plant operations on Friday night and expects to have
completed it by the end of the week.
Unite has accused management of overreacting by starting the closure
so early.
Even if Ineos are right and Grangemouth has reduced or even no
production for a month there is enough petrol in the UK to cover that
Nick McGregor
Redmayne Bentley
Nick McGregor, an oil analyst with stockbrokers Redmayne Bentley,
said he believed the move was necessary to ensure the refinery was
safe during the strike.
But he said the UK held 70 days of fuel in reserve which would be
sufficient to cover the month that Ineos expected Grangemouth to be
out of action.
He added: "Even if Ineos are right and Grangemouth has reduced or
even no production for a month there is enough petrol in the UK to
cover that.
"The system has to gear up quickly to distribute those reserves and
alternate capacity from different refineries to the areas it is most
needed.
"People will make it harder, however, for the system to do so if they
put pressure on the system by stocking up."
The UK only has nine oil refineries, with Grangemouth providing about
10% of the total refinery capacity.
Phased closure
It supplies all of Scotland, Cumbria, Northumberland and parts of
Yorkshire.
However, Mr McGregor said the closure of the refinery should not
affect petrol prices.
His views were echoed by Douglas Robertson, from the Scottish Motor
Trade Association, which acts for petrol retailers in Scotland.
Mr Robertson said: "I think the statement 'don't panic' is a very
valid one at this stage. There is certainly no case for panic buying
and filling your tank now."
The dispute centres around changes Ineos, which bought the refinery
from BP in 2005, wants to make to pensions.
Ineos has said the changes are necessary to ensure the company
remains competitive.
But Unite has described the pension changes as "unreasonable" and
said there was no need for Ineos to begin shutting down the plant
until much later in the week.
The Scottish Government has called on Unite and Ineos to get around
the negotiating table to resolve the dispute.
The queues here for fuel are bad, with petrol stations running out all over, everyone panic buying.
I thought about starting a rumer that there is going to be a shortage of sex so all the young over 18s should grab what they can get... :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
the wife said I'd get crashed in the rush.... I think she was being sarcastic :rolleyes:
i went to a local garage yesterday and they had run out of unleaded ... sainsburys and bp were ok though :huh: will report back later as going to fill up later today (thats @ £1.09/L, so ta-ta £60 :o )
Some up here are putting the prices up, one garage in whitburn my mate told me
they were taking £1.16, rip off, Ah well thats greed for you....