Furious motorists today complained of facing 17 mile journeys to fill up as others said they did not have enough fuel to go to work after eco protests sparked shortages – as it emerged activists were still occupying an oil depot more than 24 hours on.
Activists from Just Stop Oil chained themselves to pipes high up at Grays oil depot in Essex. The group tweeted just before 7am that protesters still remained at the site, with one posting a video in which he, ironically, referred to the ‘cost of living crisis’.
This morning, angry drivers took to social media to vent their frustration at the protesters’ ‘selfish, naive’ actions. ‘No petrol stations near to me have any fuel, no fuel means I can’t work,’ one Twitter user wrote this morning.
Another added: ‘I’m working today. I have enough petrol to get there but we probably don’t have enough fuel in the work vehicles to take vulnerable people to medical appointments so they’ll have to be cancelled.’
Long queues at a petrol station in Hampton, Peterborough this morning, where only a few pumps were in operation
Motorists queueing at a Tesco petrol station in Ashford this morning. Fair Fuel today said it was receiving ‘mixed messages’ about the picture across the country
A sign reading ‘out of fuel’ outside a station in Ashford as it was forced to turn away drivers
Pumps at a petrol station in Ashford covered with ‘sorry out of use’ tags
A video posted at 3.30am this morning showed a Just Stop Oil protester wearing a jacket and hat saying ‘we’re still out here’.
‘We’re still in the pipes, still stopping oil, still stopping whatever we non-violently can to resist the collapse of our liveable future,’ he said.
‘We really hope to make it to 24 hours and beyond because that’s the only way this government will listen.
‘This corrupt government that is pushing us towards not just a climate catastrophe but a social crisis.
‘We’re in the depths of a cost of living emergency… we’re in the depths of a legitimacy crisis and unless Boris Johnson gets on with the job and stops oil and legitimacy crisis will extend to the entire global system’.
Today, Environment Secretary George Eustice said: ‘A right to protest is important but not if it’s causing havoc with other people’s lives. That’s wrong and not acceptable.
‘We all recognise that we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels… this is a mainstream agenda, people really don’t need to do these extreme protests to get their point heard.’
Despite the disruption, campaign group Fair Fuel said last night shortages at forecourts had been less serious than feared after previously saying a third of petrol stations were running short in parts of the country.
Founder Howard Cox said this morning he was hearing ‘mixed messages’ but most pumps were stocked well.
The AA also gave an upbeat assessment, saying shortages had been ‘isolated’ and none of its 2,700 patrols had experienced difficulties getting fuel.
A video posted at 3.30am this morning showed a Just Stop Oil protester occupying Grays oil depot in Essex saying ‘we’re still out here’
Members of the public vented their fury at ‘selfish- eco protesters this morning
A Tesco Petrol station near Cambridge on Sunday after it run out of fuel
Protesters have been holding up fuel supplies by targeting Grays oil depot and two other crucial sites in Warwickshire and Hertfordshire.
And yesterday some also blocked two central London bridges in a series of ‘exceptionally dangerous’ stunts.
The mayhem comes ahead of a record 21.5million motorists preparing to take to the roads this coming Easter weekend.
Yesterday, a frustrated Priti Patel said: ‘Hard-working people across our country are seeing their lives brought to a standstill by selfish, fanatical and frankly dangerous so-called activists.
‘Keir Starmer’s Labour Party repeatedly voted against our proposals that would have given the police extra powers to deal with this eco mob. The police have my full backing in doing everything necessary to address this public nuisance.’
In a sign of the havoc, nearly a third of drivers surveyed in the Midlands and the South East reported a lack of fuel at forecourts. Diesel was in especially short supply.
At the Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire (pictured), protesters claimed to have dug a tunnel under a tanker route in a bid to block deliveries to forecourts
Pictured: Protesters block the Esso West oil facility near Heathrow Airport
Ministers had planned to introduce new powers to help police tackle eco-protesters but the measures were blocked in the House of Lords in January.
At the time, Miss Patel accused Labour of siding with ‘vandals and thugs’.
Proposed measures had included an offence of ‘locking on’ in a bid to stop protesters resorting to the common tactic of chaining themselves to buildings and vehicles.
New stop and search powers were also proposed to allow police to detain protesters arriving carrying bike locks and other equipment designed to make themselves difficult to remove.
Ministers are expected to try to revive the measures in the next Queen’s Speech.
Yesterday the Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion fanatics brought chaos to fuel depots.
At the Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire they claimed to have dug a tunnel under a tanker route in a bid to block deliveries to forecourts.
On Lambeth Bridge (pictured), hundreds of protesters prevented cars and buses from using the key route linking north and south London
Up to 40 campaigners then locked themselves to the gates of the Buncefield terminal in Hertfordshire.
This was followed by further action at the Exolum storage terminal in Grays, Essex.
The group has vowed to continue until ministers agree to stop all new fossil fuel investments. On Lambeth Bridge, hundreds of protesters prevented cars and buses from using the key route linking north and south London.
The protest had a festival atmosphere, with speakers playing dance music and a stall handing out pasta and falafel. The activists sat down and refused to move for hours. However they allowed ambulances to pass.
A samba band joined the protesters blocking cars and buses on Vauxhall Bridge.
The protest had a festival atmosphere, with speakers playing dance music and a stall handing out pasta and falafel
The Metropolitan Police reopened both London bridges by 8pm last night, making 38 arrests. Essex Police said the depot protest tactics were becoming ‘exceptionally dangerous’ and putting activists and officers at ‘unacceptable’ risk of harm.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: ‘We cannot stand by while criminal acts are being committed, and lives are being put at risk, in the name of protest.’
The force has made 338 arrests since the protests began on April 1.
Warwickshire Police has detained 180 people and its assistant chief constable, Ben Smith, said: ‘While we will always recognise and respect the public’s right to peaceful protest, we will take action against anyone who breaks the law or causes significant impact on the local community.’
A spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association said: ‘The industry is working hard to ensure fuels are being delivered as quickly as possible.’
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