Fuel Blockade

[aardvaak]

Is there a fuel blockade starting?

I tonight went to several petrol stations in Ipswich Suffolk and all run out of fuel.

[KeithP]

I really have no idea aardvaak, but could it be a result of exceptional demand as a result of the very recent bad weather threat it that area?

[PasturesNew]

Or people seeing it go up by 1p/litre almost every day for the last week and all decided to top up on their way home in case it leapt by Monday?

Who knows.

No fuel blockades about though to my knowledge.

[dipsy]

Live up north its 95.6 a litre and 5p off with a £50 spend.......

I love being a southerner living"up north"

Cop of taa anyone :-)

oh by the way am allowed to take rip son born north Yarkshire... speaks like royalty... daughter born Saff sounds like a Northern lass and both doing well educationally thank you....

[PasturesNew]

Diesel today is £1.09 round the corner from me.
It was £1.08 yesterday
It was about £1.05 this time last week.

[goldspanners]

central scotland: 99.9 for petrol.
102.9 for deisel.

[piggeh]

http://www.companycardriver.co.uk/petrol_prices_regional/

for a full list :)

Would imagine deliveries cancelled and people stocking up where there were flood risks. And why fill your forecourt if its at risk of being 10ft under water 12 hours later?

[steveo3002]

our sainsburys had about 50% of pumps closed ...suffolk/essex border

[vikingaero]

I think East Anglia is suffering because of the recent fire at the Coryton refinery.

[vikingaero]

Just googled it and it came up with this:

http://www.forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1993/Fuel_shortages_follow_Coryton_fire.html

I'm more surprised that there's an organisation called Forecourt Trader!

[C_Ronaldo]

In gloucester its Just over a £1 at tesco petrol station, not sure about anywhere else

[aardvaak]

I think East Anglia is suffering because of the recent fire at the Coryton refinery.

This amazes me as when the fire occurred the television news were saying "this will not affect the supply of fuel whatsoever" it is only a a very small part affected]

[aardvaak]

I just rang my local Tesco who said they have plenty of fuel but if anything forecourt is a lot bussier than this morning.

What is wrong with the public don't they understand by all this panic they will cause a shortage - they are in a word morons!

[mattymoo]

Is there a fuel blockade starting?


Yes according to this article :(
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/New-protest-over-soaring-fuel.3461964.jp

[goldspanners]

rather than fuel blockades and complaining about the price of fuel should we not be pushing for more electric and hybrid vehicles.
i know the government will end up taxing us to death somewhere else,but at least this would be a step in the right direction.

[Markyt]

rather than fuel blockades and complaining about the price of fuel should we not be pushing for more electric and hybrid vehicles.


No. Performance sucks and they all seem to be designed by kids from the reform schools.

[Fruity1]

I asked my friend who is a tanker driver if he knew anything last night. The tanker drivers have not been given any information at present. He did say there would be a diesel shortage but did not go into anymore detail, and I didn't ask as my car is petrol. He had said the other week that now is 'silly season' when they have to make more deliveries but I don't know why. Not sure if this is of any help. I will ask him tomorrow if he knows anymore.

[vikingaero]

I asked my friend who is a tanker driver if he knew anything last night. The tanker drivers have not been given any information at present. He did say there would be a diesel shortage but did not go into anymore detail, and I didn't ask as my car is petrol. He had said the other week that now is 'silly season' when they have to make more deliveries but I don't know why. Not sure if this is of any help. I will ask him tomorrow if he knows anymore.

I suppose that in winter time people drive more as it gets colder. Engines are also less efficient in the winter as it takes longer for them to reach operating temperature. And plus the fact that diesel competes more with heating oil during the winter months.

[top banana]

Yes according to this article :(
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/New-protest-over-soaring-fuel.3461964.jp


Also tonight on bbc:



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7089933.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7089933.stm)



Protest threat over fuel prices

Prices have risen for ten consecutive weeks
Fuel protests could take place in the coming weeks as unrest grows over rising prices, it has been claimed.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the recent price increases were causing growing anger amongst its members.

Prices have gone up every week for the past ten weeks with a more than two pence rise last week, it said.

Jack Semple, RHA Director of Policy said: "Our members are angry over the latest increases in fuel prices and the restarting of the fuel duty escalator."

The impact of the price increases was "quite severe" for many hauliers, he said.

Mr Semple said that hauliers were "frustrated" by the high prices and added that duty rates were "much higher" in Britain than in other European countries.

'Frustration and anger'

He said: "We are looking towards the government for help in terms of an equal duty playing field with Europe to achieve price stability."

Mr Semple added: "For hauliers, fuel is the biggest variable cost, and it has gone up every week for ten weeks."

He said meetings had been held to discuss protests, but there was not yet the groundswell of support needed to go ahead.

"But there is definite frustration and anger. There shouldn't be an increase in fuel duty at a time of clear volatility in oil prices."

A spokesman for the pressure group Transaction 2007, the reincarnation of organisations involved in the 2000 fuel protests, said they believed action would be taken imminently.

He said: "I think it will happen in the next seven to ten days. I can't say much about it."

The action was likely to take the form of "rolling road" blocks, he said.

Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "I don't think there's the appetite for protests like there was before.

"But it is clear there's a problem. There's a lot of unhappiness about the fact that prices are going up remorselessly."

[highguyuk]

Personally - I was fine with the fuel prices until the 2p extra tax that was added in September by the Gov't (Announced April)

The Government should be helping out people, and trying to control inflation instead of actively helping towards raising prices.

[brettcta]

personally i'll welcome protesting, but only if it's done properly (french-style, as much as it pains me to say it, they know how to protest).

[epz]

they are helping control inflation, nothing stops that like businesses going bust cause they cant afford transportation costs.

[natanddan1]

i for one would also welcome protests, we need to stand and make a statement that we will not accept the goverment continually taxing us a every opportunity. this country is going to the dogs i think

[Poppycat]

£1.01 per litre for petrol is now cheapest I can find in my area, £1.06 being most expensive.

I realise that the shortage of oil is increasing the price of fuel at the forecourt, the extra tax on top last month is just unfortunate.

Then there's the price of alcohol which has hardly increased, why don't the offset some of the cost on that?

Most people need there cars for work, shopping, okay some can cut down a little but alcohol isn't a necessity and too much can be bad for you

[chris73]

rather than fuel blockades and complaining about the price of fuel should we not be pushing for more electric and hybrid vehicles

Why?, what is in it for the Government??

[natanddan1]

£1.01 per litre for petrol is now cheapest I can find in my area, £1.06 being most expensive.

I realise that the shortage of oil is increasing the price of fuel at the forecourt, the extra tax on top last month is just unfortunate.

Then there's the price of alcohol which has hardly increased, why don't the offset some of the cost on that?

Most people need there cars for work, shopping, okay some can cut down a little but alcohol isn't a necessity and too much can be bad for you

why not double the price of cigarettes, extra revenue for the goverment or extra savings on NHS when people stop smoking

[OoOGazOoO]

I personally would support a fuel protest and blockades.

The government are taking the p*ss and it is about time something was done about it rather than just doing the old 'putting up with it'.

[Crabman]

I personally would support a fuel protest and blockades.

The government are taking the p*ss and it is about time something was done about it rather than just doing the old 'putting up with it'.
It isn't just the government - in our area Tesco is also milking this situation, seemingly keen to be the most expensive petrol retailer around - they are now at 103.9 whilst ESSO and BP are at 100.9. One little garage (possibly Total) I drove past whilst visiting Birmingham (only about 30 miles away) last week was at 96.9p. :rolleyes:

[Poppycat]

Cheapest I can get is £102.9 at mo its creped up again since my last post

I already drive careful to avoid high fuel bills. Its getting silly the prices. I feel sorry for anyone who runs a business that uses lots of fuel, it must be very hard.

[OoOGazOoO]

I read a sad article yesterday which showed that a haulage owner has had to lay 2 to 3 guys off simply as a result of extra fuel costs per month.

[Poppycat]

I wouldn't be at all surprised, still sad though

Mean while the government wastes our money on Defra payoffs very large payoffs to get rid of staff and I mean large payoffs

Staff offered £40,000-a-year for life 'bribes' to quit shamed ministry Defra

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=496178&in_page_id=1770



NHS suffering from large Polish baby boom

The Polish baby boom: Fears for NHS and schools as 1,000 Polish children are born EVERY month (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=496375&in_page_id=1770)

All this adds to more demands and ultimately we all pay
I read a sad article yesterday which showed that a haulage owner has had to lay 2 to 3 guys off simply as a result of extra fuel costs per month.

[mustrum_ridcully]

Well you bought this up poppycat... but I'd say the majority of the parents of these "polish children" are working and paying UK taxes & NI just like the rest of us.

Personally I'm more worried about certain groups of British people living off the dole and happily breeding away knowing that the Goverment - or rather the British (and Polish immigrant worker ;) ) taxpayers - will just give them money.

BTW Polish (and other East European) workers are probably helping keep inflation down. Maybe petrol would be 1 or 2p more expensive if they couldn't get some polish person in cheap to do petrol deliveries or work in the petrol station...

Most things in life aren't black and white as the media would like you to believe - it's normally a shade of grey.

[Hapless]

There are currently no plans for fuel action by hauliers or farmers.

I have not heard anything from Farmers 4 Action or Transaction yet and we are members of both.

[anewman]

Well the farmers get so many tax breaks and subsidies on pretty much everything. Also cheap diesel. I should have gone into farming.

[Conor]

Maybe petrol would be 1 or 2p more expensive if they couldn't get some polish person in cheap to do petrol deliveries

You'll not find anyone doing petrol deliveries for low wages. Haulage is one sector where the influx of Poles hasn't lowered wages as there's still not enough drivers to meet the demand.

[Conor]

He had said the other week that now is 'silly season' when they have to make more deliveries but I don't know why.

Because UK Haulage PLC is running full tilt for the next 3 weeks. In addition to that, there's the extra private car mileage spent doing Xmas shopping.

[OoOGazOoO]

I hope there are some blockades.

About time people took a stand rather than just accept it all the time.

[globalds]

I don't know why people moan so much about taxation ..
I'm quite happy to be re-informed ,but it seems the most sucesfull countries in the world ,all have fairly high taxation.
It goes hand in hand..To run a country efficiently takes a lot of admin...
Lots of people might feel like arguing the case but the proof is in the results ..America ,Japan ,Germany & Uk ...You pay a lot to live their.
Luckily for the UK most of the price of oil goes in stealth tax ...Whereas say for the USA ..That money is going straight out of the economy .

[anewman]

I'm quite happy to be re-informed ,but it seems the most sucesfull countries in the world ,all have fairly high taxation.
It goes hand in hand..To run a country efficiently takes a lot of admin...

I think most people moan because it's our money and it seems the country is not run efficiently. The NHS is a mess, the HMRC lose very sensitive data, the country benefits the rich but not the poor, students have to pay fees whereas they never did before and were even given grants back then. I'm sure there's many more examples of the mismanagement of the country - and how we don't get value for money from what is statutorily taken from us.

Ok we're not like Zimbabwe but things can be a whole lot better than they are now - and most of that wouldn't take admin, it would take some politicians with common sense.

[globalds]

Unfortunately ..Reality says different ...Our country is by comparison run very efficiently..And this efficiency costs a lot .
I will admit I would have the NHS run differently.Any service where the cash is paid up front is inclined to protect it's cash from those annoying end users who keep drawing away profit..
Education is expensive If you think that free education would somehow reduce our combined tax burden ...?
People losing Data ...Ask the folk at MSE towers ...Being at the front edge of technology means the mistakes are learned at your expense.
It is not Political common sense ..But economic progress ..Issues so complex ..In the sense that only when you try these things out do you see the effects ripple through the entire system ..A classic example is the bailing out of Northern Rock ...The repercussions of dumping £24 Billion to cover unpayable debt is neither left or right ,labour or tory ...And I can not say whether the result is going to help or worsen either the localised problem or the economy in general ..Only time will tell...
And that is the world we live in and have done for a long time ..It's Politicians who have tried to convince people differently ...
Do you think Gordon doesn't wish for a couple of weeks of calm ...They are as much holding the Tigers tale as the rest of us ...

[mustrum_ridcully]

globals, taking a global perspective you are right. I was reading Bill Bryson's African diary the other day he was going on about how he driving down a dirt track that was actually marked on maps as a main road. Why, well the government were given (or gave) a lot of money for this road to be built but various local officials thought that this money would be put to far better use in their personal bank accounts rather than being spent on some silly road.

However, when you start comparing us to our neighbour - in particular our north european neighbours we start looking pretty shabby. Those are the countries we will naturally compare ourselves with, mind you the level of taxation is probably higher in those countries (something we and our media often ignore).

[peter999]

Is there a fuel blockade starting?

I tonight went to several petrol stations in Ipswich Suffolk and all run out of fuel.
That's strange, in last few weeks I have also noticed petrol stations with pumps out of fuel.

peter999

[Billg4wmq]

My daughter has just returned after filling up at her local Shell garage at Blaydon near Newcastle and was told that a blockade is going to happen on Monday 3 Dec. Has anyone else heard that?
If it's true will someone please give Gordon Brown the number for the Samaritins!

[Markyt]

That's strange, in last few weeks I have also noticed petrol stations with pumps out of fuel.


Thats a combination of two things:

1) Petrol stations only filling the tanks half full, so they don't have to fork out as much while prices are high / while they wait for them to drop
2) Lemming motorists who, hearing rumours of shortages, go and fill the car, top it up every 5 minutes, and fill the shed, bath kettle and anything else they can think of with petrol 'just in case the rumpurs are true'.

[vikingaero]

Thats a combination of two things:

2) Lemming motorists who, hearing rumours of shortages, go and fill the car, top it up every 5 minutes, and fill the shed, bath kettle and anything else they can think of with petrol 'just in case the rumpurs are true'.

Last time there was the threat of a blockade I went to my local Tesco to fill up (my car really was empty and I did need fuel). Anyway alongside me was an old Nissan. The drivers wife was holding the rear door open in some attempt to shield the shenanigans from the forecourt clerk inside the shop, and he was filling a transparent tank inside the vehicle. The tank filled the boot and the folded down rear seats so it was quite voluminous.

The forecourt clerk didn't bat an eyelid when he charged the man £150 for fuel. Maybe he thought it was a truck or something. The man left and I paid and walked back to my car to see him start up his engine and then light a cigarette!............ :eek::D

[anewman]

The forecourt clerk didn't bat an eyelid when he charged the man £150 for fuel. Maybe he thought it was a truck or something. The man left and I paid and walked back to my car to see him start up his engine and then light a cigarette!............ :eek::D

And I thought seeing a woman filling an empty 2 litre coke bottle with petrol was bad.

[Voyager2002]

I feel smug about this, since I rely on my bicycle. Anyone who worries about fuel prices should do the same. I mean, taking the car into a city centre to do Christmas shopping is just plain daft.

An increase in fuel prices is excellent news: there are far too many cars on the road, mostly doing short journeys that could be done on foot. And if a few inefficient businesses go under, that will just give more work to those who can do the job more efficiently. Road hauliers are a good example: most of their work should be done by the railways, and my hope is that if fuel stays at a realistically high level, that is precisely what will happen.

[Crabman]

I feel smug about this, since I rely on my bicycle. Anyone who worries about fuel prices should do the same. I mean, taking the car into a city centre to do Christmas shopping is just plain daft.

An increase in fuel prices is excellent news: there are far too many cars on the road, mostly doing short journeys that could be done on foot. And if a few inefficient businesses go under, that will just give more work to those who can do the job more efficiently. Road hauliers are a good example: most of their work should be done by the railways, and my hope is that if fuel stays at a realistically high level, that is precisely what will happen.

All the increase in prices does is cause more hardship among those who are less able to absorb higher expenses. The fact is most of us use cars because we HAVE to, not becase we WANT to. I don't fancy cycling 35 miles to Birmingham each weekend & the train fare is double my petrol & parking costs put together! :eek:

We need a decent network of cycle lanes in this country - I would not ride on the road with nutters in their cars not even noticing you and possibly causing injury/worse - not long ago a guy was crushed under an HGV as it turned left and "didn't see him". I wouldn't save a couple of quid to risk my life on two wheels.

[anewman]

I feel smug about this, since I rely on my bicycle. Anyone who worries about fuel prices should do the same. I mean, taking the car into a city centre to do Christmas shopping is just plain daft.

I agree with the sentiments about short journeys. How many parents take their kids to school in the car when actually getting in, belting up (some even not doing this as they're so lazy), driving there just round the corner, then getting out - when it takes the same amount of time, or little less time than actually walking? Far too many I imagine. If I do any short journeys I try to do them all at once. It helps save fuel and wear on the car. So I'll go to one shop/place then try shop quickly and drive on to the next destination.

Certainly in Leeds City Centre parking costs more than the bus, so I'll never understand why people *have* to drive into Leeds, or all the people fighting over "free" spaces as close to the city centre as possible, in some cases parking within controlled zones on grass verge because other people do and the space is there (was great walking past there when the traffic warden was there booking them all, but they obviously don't do it enough to stop them doing it). Thing that really gets my beef up about the illegal parkers parking somewhere free is they are all nice expensive cars, if they can afford the cars and to drive into Leeds, they can afford the parking. I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance of the city.

Won't hauliers simply charge more for their services (with good justification)? Won't people do without other things if they feel they *really* need to use the car and pay for petrol instead. All it does is increase tax revenue.

Some people live far away from public transport and a bicycle ride for 40 miles isn't viable. You come across as a motorist hating bicyclist who doesn't own a car though :D The highways are for everyone and without motorists paying road tax the roads wouldn't be there for the bicycles. There is of course the argument that the road network capacity should be increased - which however much fuel tax goes up is never going to go away.

[anewman]

We need a decent network of cycle lanes in this country - I would not ride on the road with nutters in their cars not even noticing you and possibly causing injury/worse - not long ago a guy was crushed under an HGV as it turned left and "didn't see him". I wouldn't save a couple of quid to risk my life on two wheels.

Yeah - how many cycle lanes have you seen which run for only like 10 metres or less, there's the picture of a cycle, then there's a big "END". What a waste of time and money painting those up.

[Cumbrian Male]

Keep an eye on www.transaction-2007.com for any planned action.

You need to register to view, and it's the same people who organised the 2000 blockades.

[OoOGazOoO]

I feel smug about this, since I rely on my bicycle. Anyone who worries about fuel prices should do the same. I mean, taking the car into a city centre to do Christmas shopping is just plain daft.

An increase in fuel prices is excellent news: there are far too many cars on the road, mostly doing short journeys that could be done on foot. And if a few inefficient businesses go under, that will just give more work to those who can do the job more efficiently. Road hauliers are a good example: most of their work should be done by the railways, and my hope is that if fuel stays at a realistically high level, that is precisely what will happen.

I would feel smug too, if i didnt have to do an 80 mile round trip to work each day. An increase in fuel price is great for people like you. For people like myself, not so great. Makes a massive hole in the wages each week and doesnt actually reward people going to work. That's excellent news isnt it, not.

Your sentiment is there but the application and reality is flawed.

[daveyjp]

I would feel smug too, if i didnt have to do an 80 mile round trip to work each day.

And therein lies the problem. Over the last 30 years our whole economy has grown around the fact that motoring is cheaper than moving house. 20 years ago no one drove 40 miles to work - now it's quite normal. I work with people who lived a few miles from work and have moved 30 miles away to be in a rural location. The car allows them to do this.

Undoing 30 years of social development will take at least 50.

[Cumbrian Male]

I travel 80 mile round trip to work too.

Had to move office due to manipulative bullying manager who drove me to 5 month on the sick getting stress counseling.

[PsiDOC]

Hi all. 1st post, so please be gentle with me.
It seems that the south wales hauliers association is planning wildcat blockades. We were given the nod from above last week in work - I work on one of the refineries in the South Wales area. Measures have been put in place at the entrance to the refinery where I work. Not so much to stop any blockades but to stop lorries tearing up the newly landscaped grassy green verges!
On a personal note I am all for any protests as I was in Y2K. The protesters didn't block the refinery traffic, thus crippling the refinery, they simply asked for no fuel movement by road from the refinery. Refinery staff complied with this, and even invited the protesters to use the washrooms / showers and the on site canteen. There was no trouble at all and I welcome them back.
I personally think Mr. G Brown ESQ has beaten the fuel duty to death now and it's about time he lined the coffers from another source.
Did you know how much your fuel would cost if there was no duty on it even now with sky high oil prices?
19p per litre!!
I'll let you do the maths on how much the government gets!

Regards,

PsiDOC

[anewman]

Did you know how much your fuel would cost if there was no duty on it even now with sky high oil prices?
19p per litre!!

Where do you get that figure from? Currently it's *at least* 33.4p per litre excluding all taxes.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheaper-fuel

[aliarmst]

Hello fellow drivers,

I just came back from the United States where the american public are squeeling at now paying $3 a gallon....yes that's approx £1.50 FOR A GALLON!

When I told those folks that we were paying $8 (£4) for our gallon of petrol/gas they are in total disbelief :eek:

The equation is simple we have a rotten government that has no qaulms whatever in ripping us all off with levying us all with 80% taxation on the cost of a gallon.

Dick Turpin Oops sorry, Mr Brown and his cronies could do much to alleviate the hardship many people are suffering, but will he? :confused: I think not. as long as they receive their share they couldn't care less about the rest of us. Sherriff of Nottingham comes to mind. I guess another example of rip off Britain.

Would the last person to leave please turn off the lights.

[aliarmst]

see http://www.petrolprices.com/fuel-tax.html

[autismmum]

if only electric cars were cheaper, why are they so smal and expensive, i'd like a new car next year but the smallest one to fit hubby me 3 kids and two dogs is a skoda fabia estate in diesel its band b
its just frustrating that we cant buy a prius or similar, why dont they make them with 5 seats :(

[anewman]

if only electric cars were cheaper, why are they so smal and expensive

Smaller means less weight for them to pull so they can be more efficient. They are expensive because the technology is expensive, only just developing, and they sell very few of them. One day there will be cleaner cars that don't use diesel or petrol and are still as good to drive, problem is it won't happen anytime within the next 30 years due to over-reliance on petrol.

[lesley1960]

I feel smug about this, since I rely on my bicycle. Anyone who worries about fuel prices should do the same. I mean, taking the car into a city centre to do Christmas shopping is just plain daft.

An increase in fuel prices is excellent news: there are far too many cars on the road, mostly doing short journeys that could be done on foot. And if a few inefficient businesses go under, that will just give more work to those who can do the job more efficiently. Road hauliers are a good example: most of their work should be done by the railways, and my hope is that if fuel stays at a realistically high level, that is precisely what will happen.


As an owner of a haulage company i can see you are talking twaddle , the railway system in this country isnt up to it , and even if it was how do you think the goods would get to and from the rail hubs? men with wheel barrows?

Its not the fact that companies are inefficient its the fact that people arent willing to pay a fair price for the goods , business failure results in job losses , maybe even yours?

if fuel was £10 a litre i doubt cars would stay off the road , the price rises over the last few years have made no difference at all.

its not only road fuel that are being hit by high prices all oil based products are , you will be hit by these prices even if you only travel by bike

[Crabman]

if only electric cars were cheaper, why are they so smal and expensive, i'd like a new car next year but the smallest one to fit hubby me 3 kids and two dogs is a skoda fabia estate in diesel its band b
its just frustrating that we cant buy a prius or similar, why dont they make them with 5 seats :(
There used to be cheap, fast, spacious and realiable electric plug-in cars till they were withdrawn by General Motors, crushed and the technology removed from every car made.

Perhaps it wasn't profitable for car manufacters as there was so little to service/repair on an electric cars compared with the dirty petrol/diesel equivalents. Perhaps it threatened our dependence on oil. Whatever the reason, the technology was developed a while ago but is being kept in the dark...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F)

[anewman]

Perhaps it threatened our dependence on oil. Whatever the reason, the technology was developed a while ago but is being kept in the dark...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F

Wow that's very interesting, my bets are on the oil companies and the Government who benefit from the revenue - i.e. money more important than environment.

Ford even looked into making a nuclear powered car http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=656 Unfortunately we have so many hang ups about nuclear power, and people after uranium for bombs etc, that this just wouldn't be viable.

[grahamdb]

Is there a fuel blockade starting?

I tonight went to several petrol stations in Ipswich Suffolk and all run out of fuel.

Hello, i read the reply you recieved from kieth, sadly its not due to high demand...there are blockades in the south of england. The govenment wants to aviod panic buying....i live in se london, the four stations close to me have run dry.....i managed to get to tonbride/kent, they are empty also, and the surounding area!...i was lucky, my friend teaches a young lad who works at a service station...most stations keep reserves for the emergencie services, he let me fill up when no one was looking. i strongly sugest you fill up if you can

regards Graham.

[mustrum_ridcully]

Hmm, call me cynical, first ever post and urging people to panic buy...

Why isn't the media reporting these supposed blockades? I'm sure papers like the Daily Mail and Daily Express would love to rub Gordon Brown's nose in it and they're based in the South East so ARE likely to have noticed...

EDIT:
Here's why we haven't heard much about the protests - they were pretty much a failure
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7145581.stm

[Biggles]

There's certainly no shortage in the Ipswich area. Nor anywhere else, that I know of.

I suspect the only other thing there's no shortage of is trolls....

[goldspanners]

There used to be cheap, fast, spacious and realiable electric plug-in cars till they were withdrawn by General Motors, crushed and the technology removed from every car made.

Perhaps it wasn't profitable for car manufacters as there was so little to service/repair on an electric cars compared with the dirty petrol/diesel equivalents. Perhaps it threatened our dependence on oil. Whatever the reason, the technology was developed a while ago but is being kept in the dark...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F

im a forklift truck engineer,these machines have been electric for decades,the technology is there,dont be fooled in thinking its too expensive to develop,there really isnt much left to develop.
as for nothing to service,i strongly disagree,do you know how much time is really spent on servicing the engine in your car? if the service takes 2 hours no more than half an hour is spent on the engine.
the rest is on brakes,tyres,lubing steering, suspension and the big part...paper work.
im still in a job and i service and repair electric forklifts every day,sometimes there is more to do on the electric than engine trucks.
the change from diesel and petrol to hybrid and full electric will happen soon enough but it will be gradual.

[Crabman]

im a forklift truck engineer,these machines have been electric for decades,the technology is there,dont be fooled in thinking its too expensive to develop,there really isnt much left to develop.
as for nothing to service,i strongly disagree,do you know how much time is really spent on servicing the engine in your car? if the service takes 2 hours no more than half an hour is spent on the engine.
the rest is on brakes,tyres,lubing steering, suspension and the big part...paper work.
im still in a job and i service and repair electric forklifts every day,sometimes there is more to do on the electric than engine trucks.
the change from diesel and petrol to hybrid and full electric will happen soon enough but it will be gradual.
Good point about the other aspects of servicing, but it's still a mystery as to why all these cars were suddenly spirited away and destroyed... the change from petrol/diesel --> electric has already happened, the technology already exists and has been proven by many US consumers, so why isn't it being used now?

[anewman]

There was an electric vehicle in 1898 which could reach 62mph with approximately 68hp. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jamais_Contente My guess is it probably couldn't travel for long, but the power and speed for that year in an electric vehicle seems quite impressive to me.

General Motors tried to make a production electric car called the EV1, but it all went wrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 GM took them all back and crushed them all, and removed one from display in a museum.

Unfortunately the Government rely on oil for money as much as the oil companies do. If the Government really cared about the environment they'd have tried to get car companies to change rather than continue with petrol and diesel. And now de-forestation is going on to grow sugar cane for Ethanol which is supposedly going to be environmentally friendly :rolleyes: yeah right.

[goldspanners]

Good point about the other aspects of servicing, but it's still a mystery as to why all these cars were suddenly spirited away and destroyed... the change from petrol/diesel --> electric has already happened, the technology already exists and has been proven by many US consumers, so why isn't it being used now?
probably a bit of everything,money in revenue for governments and the practicalilty of the combustion engine over the electric vehicle,people want a car to get them from a to b,they dont want the hassle of charging batteries,etc...
i dont think we will have full electric cars until there is a definate end in sight for the common combustion engine.