MOTORISTS were last night being told not to panic over the fuel crisis despite thousands heading to the pumps to fill up their cars.

Yesterday some petrol stations across the county had run dry by a surge of panic buying following the threat of a strike by tanker drivers.

Motorists were met with long queues snaking out of filling stations forecourts.

David Johnson, manager at Station Road Garage, Shipton-Under-Wychwood, labelled the situation a ‘shambles’.

He said yesterday: “There’s not a strike and yet garages all over the country have run out of fuel.

“The garage here was like a roundabout. We had to close early last night to save a bit for this morning, but we ran out at about 8am. We had about two days’ stock on Wednesday, and it went in under a day. We sold nearly 8,000 litres. It was about 70 per cent up yesterday.”

The Government has been roundly criticised for triggering the crisis by issuing advice on keeping tanks topped up ahead of a possible strike by tanker drivers whose union Unite must give seven days’ notice of any industrial action.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has come in line for particular criticism after he urged motorists to fill up ‘jerry cans’.

Mr Johnson added: “We’re out of fuel and we would have had plenty of fuel, but once the minister said go and fill up some jerry cans it all went barmy.”

At Tesco in Ambassador Avenue, Cowley, duty manager Becky Greenwood reported queues of four of five cars, despite the station having 16 pumps available. She said: “People are panic buying but we shouldn’t run out because we have an automated system.”

Dorset police called for petrol stations to temporarily close where there was queueing because of panic buying, but Thames Valley Police said there were no current plans to do the same in Oxfordshire.

The Petrol Retailers’ Association, which represents around 5,500 garages across the UK said: “This is exactly what we didn’t want – people panic buying.

“Deliveries are still being made to garages and we are advising people to continue with their normal buying habits.”

Tanker drivers from the Unite union have voted for strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Last night Number 10 refused to release any further comment.