Published: Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008 4:30pm

Fuel stockpile safety warning

by David Moroney

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SOLD OUT: Signs went up at Tesco in Greenock yesterday after the petrol station ran out of unleaded.

MOTORISTS have been warned not to put lives at risk by stockpiling petrol.

Fears have been raised that desperate car owners are beginning to store highly-flammable fuel ahead of predicted shortages.

The warning was made as pumps began to run out in Inverclyde as motorists rushed to fill their tanks.

One Greenock car driver, who asked not to be named, revealed he is storing petrol in his garden hut during the fuel crisis.

He told the Tele: “I have to travel quite a distance in the car and I don’t want to get caught short on a motorway because it would cost me a fortune to get a breakdown truck to take me to the nearest petrol station.

“So I keep a two-litre can of petrol in the back of the car while I’m travelling and when I get home I store it under a box in a locked garden hut.

“I think what I’m doing is perfectly safe, but there’s no way I’d ever keep petrol in the house. That would be crazy.”

However, fire chiefs and council bosses yesterday warned storing fuel could be fatal.

A spokesperson for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said: “We would strongly warn members of the public not to store fuel because it would pose a serious danger to themselves and to neighbours.

“It would also be a threat to firefighters. Should a fire break out in the home of someone who is storing petrol, then firefighters could be facing a bomb waiting to go off.

“Stockpiling petrol will also make any potential shortage worse.

“By trying to save themselves the anxiety of possibly running out of fuel, people could lose their homes and their lives.”

A spokesperson for Inverclyde Council said: “We would advise people not to store petroleum in their homes under any circumstances, as it is extremely flammable.”

As previously reported, retailers are advising Inverclyde motorists not to panic-buy ahead of a proposed strike and shutdown at Grangemouth oil refinery.

But there were indications of panic buying. Signs went up at the busy forecourt of the Tesco petrol station in Greenock, which said they were out of unleaded.

A spokesperson for Tesco said there were no plans for a maximum purchase limit at either the Greenock or Port Glasgow forecourts, adding: “We’re closely monitoring the situation and Tesco is working hard to limit the effects of the ongoing refinery dispute.

“While there has been a pick-up in trade over the past couple of days, we believe our customers are largely taking a sensible approach and there is no need for fuel stockpiling.”

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: “Morrisons sources fuel from supply locations in Scotland other than just Grangemouth. We also have good levels of stock in the tanks in our forecourts.

“We do not foresee any issues with the supply of petrol and diesel to our customers.

“However, we would ask that, to avoid the risk of shortages and unnecessary queuing caused by panic-buying, people are sensible when purchasing their fuel.”

Talks between the Unite union and bosses Ineos are expected to continue today in a bid to end the crisis. Workers are threatening to walk out in a row over pensions.