Petrol filling station bosses across Oxfordshire have welcomed news a second strike by tanker drivers scheduled this weekend has been suspended.

The walkout was called off earlier in the week after the Unite union came to an agreement with haulage firms Hoyer and Suckling Transport, employed by two companies on Shell contracts.

Last weekend's four-day strike over pay resulted in at least four of Oxfordshire's 10 Shell garages running dry, although station managers reported only minor incidents of panic buying - in stark contrast to the South West. The Shell petrol station in London Road, Headington, ran out of petrol on Sunday, despite managers initially expecting to have enough to see out the strike.

The station had deliveries of unleaded and diesel on Tuesday - but ran dry again today after a tanker failed to show up last night.

Duty manager Chris Merritt said the next deliveries were due tomorrow.

He said: "It's very frustrating, but it's beyond our control. It was only really a splash and dash on Tuesday, now we are back to where we were at the weekend."

Non-fuel sales at the station last weekend were surprisingly buoyant, Mr Merritt added.

He said: "It didn't really have a major impact on the shop - our takings were pretty reasonable, considering we had no fuel."

The Shell garage in Broadway, Didcot, is stocked up again after running out of unleaded and diesel over the weekend.

However, managers at Shell petrol stations at the Chapel House Crossroads, Chipping Norton, and in London Road, Bicester, which also ran dry, refused to tell the Oxford Mail whether they had yet received deliveries.

Shell's Fringford Service Station in Marcham Road, Abingdon, rationed fuel to avoid running out.

Sales assistant Ryan Wall said: "A lot of people only took small amounts of fuel to make sure there was enough for everybody - they were quite responsible and thought about others."

He added: "We had a tanker delivery on Tuesday night and - touch wood - we should be okay."

Hoyer, Suckling and Unite confirmed they had successfully concluded pay talks on Tuesday.

Now union members will be balloted, with a recommendation to accept the deal, thought to be a 14 per cent pay rise over two years.

Shell chairman James Smith said: "We are pleased industrial action has now been suspended. We once again apologise for the inconvenience that may have been caused to our customers."