Fights erupt in fuel scramble

Motorists' queues are packing out petrol stations

Fights have broken out between motorists hunting for fuel at petrol stations across the UK.

There are reports of traffic chaos on roads close to petrol stations as drivers queue for hours to get fuel.

All but one of the fuel blockades have lifted but services have not yet returned to normal, with schools, hospitals and supermarkets still affected.

Fuel update

Shell 300 out of 1,100 garages have fuel

BP 500 out of 1,500

Esso 530 out of 1,600

Texaco 260 out of 1,500

TotalFina 325 out of 1,400

The Department of Trade and Industry said that it is hoped 26% of the UK's 13,000 petrol stations will be filled by the end of Friday and it has opened two helplines for updates on where to find fuel.

The fuel crisis could cost businesses £1bn by the time it has ended, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has warned.

Police in Hampshire and Norfolk have been called to deal with irate motorists.

Police intervened in a number of fights between motorists queuing for petrol in Hampshire.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire police said: "Tempers are fraying and people are getting irate".

In Norfolk, police said tempers were frayed on some forecourts but police made no arrests.

In Suffolk, three people were arrested in the early hours for allegedly trying to steal petrol by cutting the fuel lines of vehicles in Lowestoft.

There have been isolated reports of people attempting to siphon petrol but no significant problem, said police.

Fuel helplines

General public 08456 071071

Essential users 0345 345005

Police are urging motorists to fill-up only if the need is urgent as queues begin to clog roads close to garages.

Petrol queues are causing traffic chaos in south Wales, with drivers urged to avoid Merthyr Tydfil completely.

In Southampton, drivers queuing for petrol have blocked tankers from leaving a nearby fuel depot.

Ray Holloway of the Petrol Retailers Association said: "It's going to take us two to three weeks to get back to normal levels."

There are 3,000 designated petrol stations, given top priority by the government, and 300 of those are reserved for essential services.

"As more fuel continues to get out, we will keep updating the list of designated stations - 298 are just for essential users and the others can be used by everyone," a DTI spokesman said.

Emergency services remain the priority at petrol stations

IoD policy unit head Ruth Lea said: "Limited as the economic damage is, some marginal businesses will inevitably be finished by the fuel crisis.

"The protesters are right to complain about the extortionately high fuel duties and we look to the Chancellor to cut them in his next Budget."

Many firms have had to lay off workers and others have been affected by staff being unable to get to the office.

More than 130 schools in England and Wales have had to close, and education officials warn the situation could get worse next week.

Schools in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Birmingham and Rhondda Cynon Taff have all been affected to varying degrees and almost 20,000 pupils in the south Wales valleys have been sent home.

The Royal Mail said its deliveries on Friday and Saturday are likely to be affected and there will be no collections on Sunday.

The NHS is still on red alert and supermarkets say they are still short of bread and milk because of panic buying by shoppers.

Public transport in some areas of the country is also affected.

No post box collections on Sunday

Arriva North West apologised to passengers but said would be unable to operate any services in the Merseyside and Greater Manchester areas from Saturday night.

"Despite assurances that fuel would be supplied to several depots yesterday, no deliveries have been made and there now seems little prospect of obtaining any further fuel in the immediate future," a company spokesman said.