Deal struck in petrol tanker row

The news conference at which the fuel deal was announced

Unions representing tanker drivers working for Shell have reached a deal with employers in their pay dispute, averting a new strike later this week.

The deal comes after two days of talks between the two sides and as drivers returned to work from four days of industrial action.

The stoppage, which started on Friday, led to hundreds of petrol stations across Britain running out of fuel.

The dispute involved 600 drivers working for two haulage firms.

In a joint statement, haulage firms Hoyer UK and Suckling and the union, Unite, said that they were "pleased to confirm that they have successfully concluded pay talks".

Drivers will be balloted over the pay deal over the coming week, which Unite is urging them to accept.

As long as we have got the deal we are after and it's a fair one, then so be it. It's time to get back to work and get on with it Hoyer UK driver Send us your comments

Srikes suspended

Union officials had been pushing for a 13% pay rise that would have increased the drivers' basic salaries to £36,000, but the details of the settlement were not immediately available.

They will be made public when they are given to drivers on Wednesday.

In the meantime, all industrial action has been suspended and a ban on overtime lifted.

After the deal was announced, one driver working for Hoyer UK said: "As long as we have got the deal we are after and it's a fair one, then so be it. It's time to get back to work and get on with it."

Unite had said it was also in dispute with Shell because the oil giant dictates the structure and price of the tanker contracts, and could afford to affect the ultimate pay levels.

It was not clear whether Shell was involved in the final settlement, but the firm welcomed the news.

Drivers returned to work from 0600 BST after a four-day strike

James Smith, chairman of Shell UK, said: "We're delighted that Hoyer and Unite have reached this stage in their negotiations. We are pleased that the industrial action has now been suspended.

"We once again apologise for the inconvenience which may have been caused to our customers across the UK," he added.

Dry forecourts

The strike caused chaos for motorists in some parts of the country - with more than 600 of the 8,700 petrol stations in the UK running out of unleaded and diesel fuels on Monday.

Out of these, 120 were Shell outlets - one fifth of the Anglo-Dutch firm's sites.

Shell said that 284 - about 50% - of its sites were affected as Hoyer and Suckling drivers picketed at fuel depots and refineries across the country.

A number of drivers for other companies not involved in the dispute refused to cross the picket line at some refineries, exacerbating the problems.

The south-west of England, Cardiff and parts of London and the West Midlands have been particularly badly hit.

On Monday, one Devon petrol station began charging £1.99 a litre - more than £9 a gallon - for unleaded and diesel.

However, after widespread criticism, the garage dropped its prices on Tuesday to £1.20 a litre for petrol and £1.36 for diesel, with a maximum £5 spend.

"It got a bit extreme. I heard on the radio that we were more vilified than George Bush," a member of staff at the garage told BBC News.