Petrol stations run out of fuel

It has been reported that over 100 petrol stations in the UK have run out of fuel as the strike by oil tanker drivers begins to take its toll.

Drivers on Shell contracts from two companies are staging the walk-out after differences in pay expectations.

Shell has said that around 15 per cent of its petrol stations had been affected by the strike, with reports elsewhere of strains on supplies as motorists queued at pumps.

And the tanker drivers have said they are prepared to stage another strike next weekend if the situation isn't resolved.

The current strike ran for four days after the drivers, who are employed by Hoyer and Suckling, were unhappy with the current rise in wages they were offered.

And as the cost of petrol continues to rise, fuel protests are also taking place across Europe.

According to Manuel Amado, president of the Catalonia Federation of Service Stations, 40 per cent of petrol stations in Catalonia have run out of fuel.

Car drivers on the hunt for fuel should be warned to do so safely, as speeding to reach a petrol station or having an accident in the fight for a place in the queue could lead to rises in the cost of their European car insurance.