I just bunged fifteen quid in the car (it was, after all, below "empty") after finishing a shift at Sainsbury's tonight.
The petrol checkout operator there said her till had served "over 950 people" that day - perhaps 50% up on normal - and that people were filling all sorts of tanks to be placed in their boots => dangerous practice.
The thing is - and I never normally buy conspiracy theories - I'm not sure if the government are SO stupid to cause an unnecessary panic like this through a badly worded comment. What if they'd rather people filled up while deliveries are still being made, in order to diminish any effects of a "few days'" strike? I bet in most cases, cars with full tanks will not mind if garages are empty for a week or so. Win for government from the additional taxes (and it's a flippin' huge amount of cash) and win for them dealing with dissenting unions...not least because, without a doubt the memory & effects of the tanker strike under the Blair government looms large. And then threatening army support to maintain supplies means the possibility of real fuel shortages is near-zero anyway.
It's all game-playing and typical politics, I think.
Andy