Friday 3 December 2010

Fuel shortage

One thing that hasn't concerned me recently, with all the cycling I've been doing, is the availability of petrol. We take it for granted that we can always fill up, even if the price is always shocking. But I was surprised to see that Waitrose in Wymondham here in Norfolk had run out. Yes, I heard on the news a couple of days ago that there were likely to be problems in Scotland owing to the snow, and I think the Coryton oil refinery on the Thames estuary was mentioned too, but all the main roads round here are completely clear.


Perhaps it's just a little local difficulty. With much of the canal system iced up there's not much boating going on, but people still need to run their engines now and then to charge the batteries, or else they need diesel for their heating. One hopes that this situation doesn't last too long!


Opposite the petrol station was a hanging basket, with icicles, under a dripping pipe. The temperature here didn't rise above about -1ÂșC today.

2 comments:

Brian and Diana on NB Harnser said...

I thought it was an EU regulation that petrol stations had to have tanks big enough to carry several days supply of fuel, still at the price Isurpose it makes sense not to fill them and store to much money

Halfie said...

On the other hand, if the retail price goes up just after a big delivery, then they can sell their stock at a bigger profit. A gamble, I suppose, that the retail price doesn't fall.