Panic buying, or shortage

[pje16]

When was petrol rationed in the 1980s in the UK ?

Sorry wrong decade it was 1973/74 and it was preparation for it
but there were severe shorgtaes an theft did go on
look how old the BBC website looks (not that it was around then)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witn ... 065969.stm

[bungeejumper]

When was petrol rationed in the 1980s in the UK ?

As above. I don't think it was, unless you mean that purchasing was capped at ten quid per customer. (Not dissimilar to last week, when the limit was £30.) The govt issued the unused wartime ration books in the seventies (honestly!), in response to a drivers' strike combined with a spell of bitter cold. But they were never used.

I do remember queuing at the pumps on a freezing cold day, only to find when my turn arrived that my locking fuel cap had frozen up solid and I couldn't get any petrol in. "No problem!" said the attendant cheerily, and he flicked his cigarette lighter and advanced on my petrol tank with a two inch flame. Realising that my life was worth more than a few litres of petrol, I called the enterprise off and went home without my fuel.

BJ

[tjh290633]

One of the interesting things I turned up recently is that E10 petrol typically contains 0.5% water. Which doesn't sound like very much, until you reflect that two 50 litre fill-ups are going to introduce half a litre of the stuff into your life. Under normal circumstances, your fuel injectors should be able to cope with that much, as long as it doesn't arrive all at once. But a cupful being sucked up all at once could really do quite a lot of damage to your top end.

Injection of Water with the fuel was used to be a way of enhancing performance, as I recall. People seem to forget that in both world wars, vehicles ran on hydrogen as 50% of the fuel used (town's gas). An episode of Dad's Army yesterday featured Jones's van converted to run on gas.

If it is the ethanol which is hygroscopic, then the water is not going to settle out.

TJH

[Mike4]

Around here it is getting worse.

I started the day with half a tank and knowing I'd be doing about 100 miles, I set off on the ring around Marlborough taking in three petrol stations. None had any fuel. So I headed towards Newbury (today's work was in Reading), but Hungerford was rammed solid with non-moving traffic and after waiting ten mins at the top of the blocked high street I turned around and bypassed the centre and went to Newbury. Three petrol stations there all dry so I headed north to the M4, where Chieveley Services had some diesel at the gouging price of £1.60 a litre. I needed to fill up as I have a London fix to do tomorrow. But I hit a £45 purchase limit, so just took that and headed off to Reading. In Reading I must have passed six petrol stations at least, all dry but no matter, I now had 3/4 of a tankful. Back home and still have 300 miles showing available on the dash display, which I don't totally believe. Emergency call-out to Hungerford t 8pm, where afterwards I finally get to fill the tank in the Shell station (at £1.46 per litre - not outrageous but not cheap either!)

Tomorrow I have the west London fix, then Thursday three fixes in Reading, and on Friday a trip to Melksham. I reckon I have just enough fuel now to get around all of these, having recovered 10 litres of emergency white diesel stored on the local boat. If I can get another tankful on Friday I'll spend the weekend away cruising on my other boat up in the midlands but if not, it will be a third weekend stuck down here.

Just another anecdote to add to the picture.

[AWOL]

I wouldn't worry as the fuel pumps are designed to survive 100,000 miles although supposedly keeping the tank about 25% is thought to extend that. I have only exceeded 100,000 on one of my car's and almost always top up when down to less than 20 miles range and it was fine. Admittedly the electrics in that particular Audi were a nightmare from day 1. I felt like I spent more on bulbs than fuel and the Engine Management System became temperamental after ten years and 150,000 miles.

[AWOL]

When was petrol rationed in the 1980s in the UK ?

Sorry wrong decade it was 1973/74 and it was preparation for it
but there were severe shorgtaes an theft did go on
look how old the BBC website looks (not that it was around then)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witn ... 065969.stm

The 1979 oil crisis was the last time I saw serious queueing for fuel. The pictures from Southern England are reminiscent. I don't remember the 1973 crisis due to my youth at the time. I do remember in the 1979 one and I think it was around this time that Mobil garages were hanging out "Don't be a dinosaur" stickers. Does anyone remember these

[Breelander]

October 2nd, 2021, 4:38 pm

This afternoon I made a drive out to check the situation here in south Bucks.

Of my eight nearest petrol stations, five had no fuel. The other three had very long queues.

Today I needed to get fuel. The situation has changed little from nearly a week ago. Of the same eight garages, it's now only four that are dry.

The queues at the others are getting shorter though, so I did get my fuel without too much of a wait.

[dionaeamuscipula]

October 2nd, 2021, 4:38 pm

This afternoon I made a drive out to check the situation here in south Bucks.

Of my eight nearest petrol stations, five had no fuel. The other three had very long queues.

Today I needed to get fuel. The situation has changed little from nearly a week ago. Of the same eight garages, it's now only four that are dry.

The queues at the others are getting shorter though, so I did get my fuel without too much of a wait.

Its all quite befuddling to those of us who for many days now have been quaintly driving straight up to petrol stations and filling our tanks with whatever our desires.

DM

[Breelander]

Its all quite befuddling to those of us who for many days now have been quaintly driving straight up to petrol stations and filling our tanks with whatever our desires.

Those of us who live in London and the South East envy you.....

[DrFfybes]

Yesterday Sainsbury's had a "no diesel" sign up at luncthime, although there was a tanker there as well.

First sign I've noticed for about a week.

As mum's care home had a Covid case, then she had a Stroke and was taken to hospital for a few days, our 200 mile round trips has been cancelled for the last couple of weeks. Evert cloud and all that.

Actually, I do wonder with lockdown gone and forrin travel still a bit uncertain, how many more people are using their hols to drive around the UK. We've certainly done quite a few more trips to local(ish) attractions we might not otherwise have done.

Paul

[Mike4]

Its all quite befuddling to those of us who for many days now have been quaintly driving straight up to petrol stations and filling our tanks with whatever our desires.

Those of us who live in London and the South East envy you.....

Indeed. There seems little point in posting "no queues at our petrol stations" without saying where in the UK that is.

Yesterday, I unexpectedly found diesel at the BP station on the A4 just west of Reading, and filled up. Yay!

I'm also beginning to notice signs outside petrol stations saying "No fuel", yet there are cars at the pumps obviously re-fueling. This I suspect, is being done to try to reduce the queues stretching out onto the public road. The Shell station in Hungerford does this.

[scotia]

Indeed. There seems little point in posting "no queues at our petrol stations" without saying where in the UK that is.

No queues in Central Scotland (on the outskirts of Glasgow) . I passed three this morning, and they all seemed to be operating normally. At ASDA there were a total of two cars , and 8 pumps.

[servodude]

At ASDA there were a total of two cars , and 8 pumps.

...so four neds in vintage Rebook trainers?

[daveh]

Indeed. There seems little point in posting "no queues at our petrol stations" without saying where in the UK that is.

No queues in Central Scotland (on the outskirts of Glasgow) . I passed three this morning, and they all seemed to be operating normally. At ASDA there were a total of two cars , and 8 pumps.

And no queues in NE Scotland (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire) when I've been out and about, though friends have said that the independent stations in Stonehaven have occasionally been out of fuel.

[scotia]

At ASDA there were a total of two cars , and 8 pumps.

...so four neds in vintage Rebook trainers?

The Neds in my era wore brothel creepers

[dionaeamuscipula]

Its all quite befuddling to those of us who for many days now have been quaintly driving straight up to petrol stations and filling our tanks with whatever our desires.

Those of us who live in London and the South East envy you.....

Indeed. There seems little point in posting "no queues at our petrol stations" without saying where in the UK that is.

Sorry, the intended point was wow, people are still having problems?? rather than ha ha we're all right Jack.

Anyway. Everything operating normally here in Cardiff.

DM

[Hallucigenia]

Its all quite befuddling to those of us who for many days now have been quaintly driving straight up to petrol stations and filling our tanks with whatever our desires.

I advise against filling your tank with Brains...

the intended point was wow, people are still having problems??

Per this article yesterday :
On Thursday, a PRA survey found that 12% of filling stations in London and the South East were still dry, while 17% had one grade of fuel, and 71% both. Outside of London and the South East 90% of forecourts have both.

So it's more or less resolved outside the SE but still problems in the SE, particularly it seems areas served by Fawley (Southampton) and Buncefield (Hemel Hempstead). It's just stopped being news.

Also looking at MSO, there still seem to be sporadic problems even on the motorway network, particularly in the Home Counties - running out of diesel or restricting it to HGVs or cars for periods during the day.

https://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Fuel_Shortage

[Mike4]

My anecdote of the day...

Went to Melksham today to fix a boiler. No fuel available in Hungerford but travelling west, then situation changed abruptly. A small queue at Burbage Esso then the petrol station just past Pewsey was oddly free of queues. None of the pumps was bagged or locked so appeared to be working. Similarly with all petrol stations I passed going through Devizes and then Melksham. All had both petrol and diesel with no queues.

Coming back to my second fix (for seriously ill geezer in Newbury), all was back to 'normal'. Both petrol stations in Hungerford were dry, same for three petrol stations I passed in Newbury. Once east of Pewsey, there seemed to be no fuel of any type available anywhere. West of Pewsey, fuel was plentiful.

Maybe that helps someone.

[bungeejumper]

Went to Melksham today to fix a boiler. No fuel available in Hungerford but travelling west, then situation changed abruptly. A small queue at Burbage Esso then the petrol station just past Pewsey was oddly free of queues. None of the pumps was bagged or locked so appeared to be working. Similarly with all petrol stations I passed going through Devizes and then Melksham. All had both petrol and diesel with no queues.

Shhhh, not so loud! We've got enough Londoners bringing their money out here already, buying up all the houses and suchlike. If you keep on spilling the beans like that, they'll be hoovering up all the petrol as well. (Not literally, I hope) We're already having to tell them that we're a cultural desert out here, and that the nearest sushi bar is in Reading. Honestly, it's the only way to get rid of the buggers.

On a more sobering note, one of our neighbours observed an interesting scene where a smartly-dressed young thing in an SUV was filling plastic bottles at the village filling station pump. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to know that petrol dissolves some plastics. Until then, that was. If there's one thing you don't want, it's petrol all over your feet.

BJ

[pje16]

the Esso garage close to where I work on Saturday morning has had the odd queue today, only 4- 6 cars and most of the time no queue
The last 2 Saturdays it has been over 100m long going back to and blocking a roundabout
As i said in an earlier post his price has been put up by 12p a iltre and another local independent garage has put his up by 10p
Most of the others in the area haven't, so we should those prices drop in the next few days