All Empty

With motorists panic-buying the last of the county's dwindling stocks, there will be no unleaded or diesel at any stations in Sussex by the end of today.

The Argus surveyed 40 filling stations in the county who all said they would have run out of fuel by this evening and none knew when tankers containing new supplies would arrive. Only lead-replacement fuel will be available.

An attendant at the Fina station at Boship, Hailsham, said: "We have no unleaded, no diesel and no four-star and we have no idea when a tanker will arrive."

An attendant at the Salvidge Service Station at Cowfold Road, Bolney, said: "We have no petrol or diesel at all and we just don't know when new stocks will arrive."

Pumps at the Star Service Station in Kingsway, Hove, at Sullivan Brothers in Upper Beeding, at Texaco in Rustington, and the Warren Service Station in Brighton, were also dry, with staff in the dark about when they would be restocked.

The Manor Road Service Station at Lancing had introduced rationing but said stocks of diesel and unleaded were likely to be exhausted later today.

The crisis has led to councils and emergency services drawing up contingency plans to avert disaster.

Prime Minister Tony Blair today cancelled a regional tour of Yorkshire and was returning to London for emergency meetings with ministers to discuss the crisis.

He refused to comment as he arrived back at Downing Street.

Downing Street confirmed a series of meetings were taking place over the course of the day involving Mr Blair and other ministers to discuss the fuel protests but was unable to give exact details of who would attend.

A decision is expected to be made at the meetings on whether to use the emergency powers whose use was approved yesterday by the Privy Council.

The powers, under Section 3 of the Energy Act 1976, give the Government "exceptional powers to control the supply of fuel", said a Home Office spokesman.

If it chose to use them, the Government would be able to direct oil companies to prioritise deliveries of fuel to essential services, such as schools, hospitals and public transport, she said.

Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers this morning withdrew from an engagement to speak on export credit guarantees to take part in the meetings.

Hauliers who vowed to bring their protest to Sussex last night carried out their threat by blockading a fuel depot at Shoreham. The move could cripple supplies to Texaco garages in Sussex and further afield.

Dozens of filling station across the county were closed this morning as a result of the panic buying and supplies not being able to get through.

Although Sussex Ambulance Service has enough fuel to cope with emergencies for three weeks, some non-essential trips will be cancelled. These include transportation for some out-patients and its free ambulance car service.

Peter Atkinson, branch secretary of Unison in Worthing, said he had received more than 20 calls this morning from community health workers unable to reach patients in their homes.

District and psychiatric nurses, as well as specialist cancer carers have told him they cannot do their jobs.

Mr Atkinson said: "These protesters are putting people at risk with their unplanned, disorganised and anarchic actions."

East and West Sussex Fire Authorities have also announced they are cancelling some non-emergency call-outs until the blockades are lifted. Sussex Police services have not been affected.

Hauliers and farmers are blockading fuel depots and refineries across Britain to protest against taxes on fuel which are the highest in Europe.

A Texaco depot at Shoreham has been blockaded since last night by two tow trucks. This morning Sussex Police were monitoring the situation but not moving the handful of protesters on.

Brighton and Hove Council is running services as normal but warned users of its Dial-A-Ride and Shoppers Special services that they could be soon cut.

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, said early indications the firm had fuel to last for a month had proved incorrect and supplies would be exhausted by the middle of next week.

He plans to consider contingency plans later this week to see if services would have to be cut. Stagecoach in Hastings is expecting to cut services next week if fuel supplies do not get through.

Managers at Crawley-based Pasta Reale have already suffered delays getting deliveries into their factory from their base in Scotland.

Managing director John Freestone said: "Vehicle deliveries were unable to get to us over the weekend because of traffic jams caused around a depot in Trafford Park in Manchester.

"In the end they turned up six hours late but at the moment business is now running normally."

Haulage contractors used by the firm, which employs more than 200 people, only have fuel supplies for three days left.

Mr Freestone is now working on contingency plans to deliver their fresh pasta and sauces to stores all over the country. He said: "For any manufacturer without the means to distribute goods the opportunities are limited if there is not any fuel.

"Retailers are now looking at ordering more stock but that could lead to panic food buying like we have seen with petrol."

A spokesman for Seeboard said: "We are monitoring developments and have developed contingency plans, which might include limiting work to emergencies only."

Most councils throughout the county have enough fuel supplies to provide a normal level of service for now.

Storage tanks at Worthing Council's depot, which also serves Adur District Council, have enough diesel for at least four weeks.

Lewes District Council has a similar four-week fuel supply.

Onyx, refuse service contractors for Arun District Council, have enough fuel to last for another week.

A council spokesman said other key council services which relied upon vehicles would not be affected in the short-term.

Self-employed instructors working at A to Z Driving School in Brighton are being forced to cut their working hours - and lose money.

David Smith, co-director of the company, said pupils about to take their test were being given priority.

Mr Smith said: "We are rationalising how many hours we can give to each person so at least everyone has one lesson per week."

Staff at The Body Shop headquarters in Littlehampton are slightly better prepared for fuel shortages because of a car-sharing scheme encouraged by the company.

Many of their hundreds of staff rely on cars to travel to work from Brighton and Chichester.

Chris Wright, the Road Haulage Association's director for the South, said yesterday: "The intention is to put a stranglehold on supply which is already having a quite serious effect.

"There is an intention to target all fuel depots if the Government does not have a change of heart, although I should stress the association is not organising these actions.

"It is a measure of the frustration of the industry where people are losing their jobs and firms are going out of business because of high taxes."

Farmers and hauliers are blockading terminals and fuel depots to force the Government to cut petrol and diesel taxes, the highest in Europe.