Fuel shortages across the county are starting to ease after many petrol stations were forced to close.
Drivers struggled to find fuel in Oxford and neighbouring towns following protests blocking major oil depots.
On Friday and Saturday signs with ‘no fuel’ were appearing at petrol stations, as some ran out of diesel and petrol. However, now supplies are getting through, and the crisis is easing.
The fuel shortage came as activists from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion blocked access to oil terminals last week, demanding that the Government stops new oil and gas projects.
Amir Steve Ali, who works at the Rice Box chinese restaurant and takeaway in Cowley Road, Oxford, said he could not find any petrol stations open in the Cowley area on Friday night and he had “no choice” but to drive to Yarnton to get petrol.
He said: “I think people panicked and started to over fill up.”
Mr Ali added: “Even in my workplace at Rice Box, the delivery drivers ran out of fuel, and one had to finish at 10pm.”
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Ed Nix from Chipping Norton said he struggled to get petrol on Friday. He said: “All the local petrol stations were shut on Friday. Thanks Extinction Rebellion. Now we can’t work.”
One post on community Facebook page Kennington Connected on Friday evening asked why all the petrol stations in Abingdon and Oxford were closed.
Driver Frankie Holland wrote on the Facebook page: “It is having an awful impact on everyone, we nearly didn’t make it home tonight as we were driving around trying to find petrol, my lad was anxious. It is not going to help their cause; they are just going to be hated.”
However, deliveries are now getting through to Oxfordshire petrol stations.
The BP garage at Wheatley services had two deliveries and now has fuel. Similarly, BP on Woodstock Road in Oxford, BP on Woodstock Road in Yarnton and BP on Oxford Road in Wallingford all have fuel.
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A worker at the BP garage on Hailey Road in Witney said it does have petrol, but it is running low.
Sarah Beckett works at the Sainsbury’s petrol station in Kidlington, on Sunday she said: “We are running out of diesel quite quickly. We had a delivery last night, but I do not know how long the fuel will last today.”
A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: “All fuel supply points are fully operational, and we are working closely with industry to ensure that supplies are maintained. The public should continue to purchase fuel as normal.”
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