Britain back to normal 'in two weeks' again

As petrol supplies are resumed, the country assesses the effect of a protest that almost stopped the nation

Britain was back on the move yesterday as the worst of the fuel crisis appeared to have passed. Thousands of tankers were delivering fuel supplies to the nation's forecourts, and many filling stations were back in business.

Britain was back on the move yesterday as the worst of the fuel crisis appeared to have passed. Thousands of tankers were delivering fuel supplies to the nation's forecourts, and many filling stations were back in business.

But the rush in demand was causing lengthy queues at petrol stations, and suppliers were warning that it could take up to two weeks before the situation was back to normal.

Oil giant BP said yesterday that 1,048 deliveries had been made in 24 hours. The company has now opened 682 of its 1,500 forecourts and restocked all garages on the Government's priority and designated lists. The company was in the process of sending tankers to its remaining outlets.

Texaco said that 395 of its 957 outlets were open, and took 430 deliveries. TotalFinaElf said 412 deliveries had been made yesterday, predicting 800 of its 1,400 outlets would be open by last night. Shell has opened 400 of its 1,100 filling stations and was expecting 736 tanker deliveries by the end of the day. Jet said that 42 per cent of its 547-station network was up and running, and Esso said 700 tanker deliveries a day would ensure half its 670 forecourts would be open for business today.

Oil companies made 3,300 deliveries to 298 priority petrol stations for people doing essential jobs, but a Shell spokesman said: "The tankers are being followed for miles by queues of motorists desperate to see where the fuel is being delivered."

Supermarkets said that deliveries of essentials such as bread and milk were returning to normal, and that panic-buying was waning.

Tesco spokesman Russell Craig said yesterday: "We don't anticipate any shortages and our stock levels are as they should be." He added that around 90 per cent of Tesco garage forecourts were now open, but motorists were being rationed to £20 of fuel each.

Asda was still waiting for fuel deliveries, but said that as far as food went stores were "all geared up".

Sainsbury's said that the situation "varies from area to area", but added that stores were not experiencing shortages despite a 35 per cent increase in demand last week. About 75 per cent of its petrol forecourts were selling fuel yesterday.

A spokeswoman for the superstore, Gillian Bridger, called on customers not to panic-buy. "We anticipate all our petrol stations will be open by the end of play on Monday," she said. "We would really appreciate it if customers who don't have an urgent need for petrol help the situation by delaying their journey to fill up."

But the knock-on effects of the protest were still being felt in other sectors.

Passengers on three airlines, British Airways, Virgin and KLM, faced fare rises of up to 4 per cent.

Some motorway service stations remained closed: Clackett Lane on the M25, Heston on the M4, Toddington on the M1 and Oxford on the M40, which was only open to emergency services.

Buses were beginning to resume normal service. National Express coaches were running a "nearly" normal service. All London Transport bus routes are now in service but there were cancelled Stagecoach bus services in Wales.

Most sporting fixtures escaped the effects of the protest unscathed. But the Swindon Town v Cambridge United football match was cancelled, as were six national league rugby union matches.

Schools in some areas were still telling children to stay at home until normal conditions had resumed. Twelve schools in Essex plan to shut tomorrow, as well as 10 in Gloucestershire. In West Yorkshire, about 100 schools will be closed until at least Tuesday.