Italian lorry drivers end strike

Unions representing 80% of the drivers were on strike

Italy's lorry drivers say they are suspending their three-day blockade that has led to shortages of petrol and food across the country.

The two main unions representing the strikers say the government has agreed to address their concerns about rising fuel prices and long working hours.

Thousands of drivers have been blockading motorways since Monday.

The strike has caused huge queues at petrol stations, and shops have begun running out of fresh food.

"We expect that over the coming hours the situation can go back to normal," government officials Enrico Letta was quoted as saying by the Associated Press after talks with the unions.

Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi said: "A sense of responsibility prevailed in the end."

The drivers had earlier ignored an order by the transport minister to end what the official strikes commission had declared an illegal protest.

The authorities had warned that the strikers could face sanctions unless they removed the blockades.

Panic buying

The drivers had been blockading major ports, borders and the main routes into Italy's cities.

On many motorways, barricades of trucks restricted cars to a single lane with some completely closed.

At Ventimiglia on the Italian-French border, drivers stopped any trucks from crossing. Tailbacks on the French side ran to several kilometres.

Several unions representing 80% of the country's drivers were involved in the strike.

They were protesting against rising fuel prices and demanding more money for the transport sector in the government's 2008 budget.

Petrol stations across the country have been running short of supplies, and there have been long queues at the pumps.

There has also been panic buying, leaving many supermarket shelves empty.