Effect on oil price would be negligible compared to the bombing of the Saudi refinery and shipment port, surely.

I never panic buy, but have done some prudent stocking up.

I lay in prudent stocks.
You hoard.
He panic buys.
 

My reserve petrol is for any friends who drive here and cant obtain petrol to return, for neighbours from whom I might want a favour, or possibly other uses not yet foreseen.

Highly irresponsible.

To what do you refer ?
The protesters ? Or to my store of petrol which I believe to be safe and legal. I store no more than 30 liters, in purpose made steel jerry cans. These are kept in a locked detached outbuilding.

5-litre plastic cans
You are legally able to store two of these cans at home, meaning you could have up to 10 litres stored in plastic cans at any one time. These tend to be the most common form of fuel container, with around three million being sold every year, usually from petrol station forecourts.

10-litre metal containers
You are legally able to store up to 20 litres in metal cans, meaning you can have up to two 10-litre metal fuel containers.

In total you can store up to 30-litres of petrol at home by using two 10-litre petrol cans in combination with two 5-litre plastic containers. The fuel in your lawnmower or other petrol garden machinery also counts toward this storage limit.

To what do you refer ?
The protesters ? Or to my store of petrol which I believe to be safe and legal. I store no more than 30 liters, in purpose made steel jerry cans. These are kept in a locked detached outbuilding.

If all 30 litres are in steel jerry cans, that's probably not legal. It seems from a quick goggle that you're allowed two steel cans (10 litres each) and two plastic (5 litres each).
https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/blog/news/petrol-cans-safe-storage/

SCHEDULE 2

Petrol Storage in Domestic or Other Relevant Premises

Requirements for keeping up to 30 litres of petrol in suitable portable containers or in a single demountable fuel tank

1.  A person keeps petrol in accordance with this paragraph if—

(a)no more than a total of 30 litres in suitable portable containers or in a single demountable fuel tank is kept, of which—
  (i)no more than 30 litres is kept in one or more suitable portable containers;
  (ii)no more than 30 litres is kept in one demountable fuel tank; or
  (iii)no more than 30 litres is kept in no more than two suitable portable containers in any motor vehicle, motor boat, hovercraft or aircraft;

(b)the storage place is—
  (i)within, above, below, attached to, or within the curtilage of a building (but, subject to paragraphs (ii) and (iii), not a flat or public building);
  (ii)below a flat;
  (iii)attached to a public building; or
  (iv)in a vehicle for the purpose of using it as fuel for any internal combustion engine;

(c)the storage place, where it is—
  (i)within a building, is fire-separated from the rest of the building and any exit route from the building; and
  (ii)above, below or attached to a building, is fire-separated from the building;

That lawnmower website has, I think, got the essentials right – the 30 litre limit, not keeping it in a dwelling, etc – but for some reason been overly cautious and prescriptive on the type of container. Perhaps because those are just the most common types of container used by lawnmowerists?

I only linked to it because it was the first site that came up in a quick search; I did edit my post to include a link to the official HSE rules. Broadgage's 30 litres do seem to be legal, as long as the building is subject to adequate ventilation etc. I do wonder what the local fire brigade and also the police, for different reasons, would say though!

My reserve petrol is for any friends who drive here and cant obtain petrol to return, for neighbours from whom I might want a favour, or possibly other uses not yet foreseen.

I reckon he's a secret revolutionary, he's probably the sort of chap who likes his steak well done (on the Pullman and elsewhere) so petrol bombs hold no fear for him! To the barricades comrades! for buffets and no more IETs! 

I'm baffled.  How many friends do you ever expect to turn up and not have enough petrol to get them as far as the nearest open filling station? If you're being that prudent I hope you have a similar supply of diesel in case any of your friends have cars so powered.  And if you need a favour then much much safer that you give them a couple of quid or a bottle of wine than start to decant fuel into their vehicle.

But seriously, although I think we've established that it's not illegal, if there ever was any question as to your motivation for keeping such a large amount of fuel on the premises, your reasons would be laughed out of hand by whichever authority was interested as totally implausible and to be hiding another motive.

 

I lay in prudent stocks.
You hoard.
He panic buys.
 

My reserve petrol is for any friends who drive here and cant obtain petrol to return, for neighbours from whom I might want a favour, or possibly other uses not yet foreseen.

An emergency serious enough to close every petrol station between Broadgage Towers and London would probably require alternative transport desirable. For some reason, I'm reminded of The Changes trilogy, particularly the last one, The Weathermonger.

One reason is that there are 4 supermarket filling stations in the town.

The Sainsbury's just off J12 of the M4 used to have very cheap petrol back in the 90s, perhaps for similar reasons.

An emergency serious enough to close every petrol station between Broadgage Towers and London would probably require alternative transport desirable. For some reason, I'm reminded of The Changes trilogy, particularly the last one, The Weathermonger.

Ahh, someone else who fills up in Taunton. I try to whenever I visit the family. It's currently 5p a litre cheaper in Taunton compared to Morrison's Wincanton, which is the cheapest near Templecombe.

I think broadgage's avatar gives another clue to why he stores petrol (coincidentally contemporaneous with The Changes)...

Yes.

So here's a little riddle: Which physical artefact links Survivors with The Good Life?

Too easy for a Survivors fan: Jerry Leadbetter's yellow Volvo estate was also Abby Grant's car. Although I preferred her hubby's Jensen Interceptor (a corner of which is visible in the aforementioned avatar).

I claim my prize 

Oh, and don't eat the fish...

I agree with you about the Austin Allegro!

The Jensen Interceptor 'starred' in a fair few movies and TV series in the 60s and 70s. And even into the 1980s where one was The Saint's (Simon Templar played by Simon Ditton) car in a  series of TV movies.

The Champions, The Persuaders, The Protectors, The Sweeney The Professionals, The Saint... all have featured the Interceptor.

There's a good chance that the Interceptor would appear in any  60s-80s 'good guys v bad guys' TV shows. Production Designers seemingly liked them.

Oh, and it's one of the cars I'll have in my collection when I win the lottery. It'll look good alongside the Triumph Stag and Aston Martin Lagonda.

The first was a high mileage ex-journalist's hack that had seen better days, and was kept going at reduced cost by virtue of the fact that my brother worked for a BL subsidiary which meant staff discount on spares.

You could sell some of your stock at a premium! Then simply buy some more in a couple of weeks when people are tired of panicking.

The latest petrol panic is growing, with a significant number of filling stations running out, and long queues at others.
I may yet be glad of my modest supply.

I've seen several social media posts where people are blaming traditional media for the panic buying.

I've not read a single news item that tells people to stock up. In fact, nearly all items have quotes from industry and politicians saying there is no need to panic buy.

Classic cases of shooting the messenger.

I suspect that this shortage will not amount to much.
There is plenty of petrol at refineries and bulk storage depots. The problem is a shortage of delivery drivers.
That can be overcome by more efficient delivery planning, and if need be by military drivers.

Any actual shortage of petrol at refineries would be more serious, but I see no sign of that.

Prudent to be prepared though, just in case.

It was only when the government said there was no need to panic that I realised how serious this is, and panicked.

I suspect that this shortage will not amount to much.
There is plenty of petrol at refineries and bulk storage depots.

All this talk Of storing petrol makes me think, that those who do need to be mindful of the fact that E10 which is now standard unleaded petrol does not last anywhere near as long as its predecessor when stored in any form of container, most noticeably when kept for longer periods in metal Jerrycans it releases water vapour, that leads to rusting of the inside of said cans and subsequent contamination of the stored fuel
Thought you might like to know !..

Petrol is the new toilet rolls!

I had hundreds of toilet rolls LONG BEFORE the great toilet roll panic.

Agree, I avoid hoarding or panic buying since others may thereby be deprived, and panic buying can be more expensive or entail more trouble than ordinary purchasing.

I do purchase prudent stocks, at ordinary prices, long before any panic or crisis.

Agree, I avoid hoarding or panic buying since others may thereby be deprived, and panic buying can be more expensive or entail more trouble than ordinary purchasing.

I do purchase prudent stocks, at ordinary prices, long before any panic or crisis.

I had hundreds of toilet rolls LONG BEFORE the great toilet roll panic.
I had the maximum lawful amount of petrol LONG BEFORE the last panic.

I have a large supply of logs BEFORE the next heating fuel panic.
I have half a ton of anthracite BEFORE the next panic.

Candles, paraffin, oil lamps and other supplies likewise.

Just remember when buying candles, if you need four, it's better to ask for, "three, plus one more" in the hardware store, to avoid confusion.

remembering that fingers were invented before forks.

Disposable cutlery can be useful for emergencies...

I also keep a stock of very low consumption incandescent torch bulbs, these give a miserable light, but better than no light, and economise on batteries. A 2.7 volt, 0.15 amp bulb on two alkaline D cells will give over 100 hours service, and the light is sufficient for indoor use.

It's a bit hard to turn over your vegetable patch with your fingers!

Disposable cutlery should be avoided too, unless biodegradable/compostable.

I have an existing stash of disposable plastic cutlery for emergencies. The environmental  harm from manufacture has already been done, and nothing is to be gained by discarding the items unused.
I do not intend to buy any more plastic cutlery, any future purchases will be the biodegradable wood sort.

If water itself is in short supply, we probably have more pressing worries than dirty cutlery.

Passers by are amazed when they see me produce water from my butt.

The number of workers on furlough has fallen steadily this year as lockdown restrictions eased and businesses reopened but the latest figures available showed about 1.6 million remained on the scheme in July.

[snip]

But the foundation's recent research suggested that a small rise in unemployment was a "real risk" for those still on the scheme as it ends, particularly older workers or those in the travel sector.

[snip]

According to Citizens Advice, people could work elsewhere while furloughed - if their employment contract allowed.
Many forecasters, including the Bank of England, are expecting a small rise in unemployment now the scheme has ended.

Fuel supplies: Mortar tanker tailed by drivers looking for petrol

A tanker driver has told how he was tailed by about 20 drivers who were dismayed to discover he was not transporting petrol.

Johnny Anderson, who drives for Weaver Haulage, was transporting 44 tonnes of mortar from Bilston, Wolverhampton, to a building site in Northamptonshire. When he reached his destination, he saw a line of traffic backed up behind him.

"The man at the front... actually said 'You could have stopped and told us you weren't a petrol tanker," he said.

The incident came as lengthy queues formed at forecourts amid petrol and diesel supply problems.

Mr Anderson, from Harworth, Nottinghamshire, said he was delivering cement to the David Wilson Homes development at Overstone on Thursday. He was on the A43 when he first realised he was being followed.

"I didn't notice initially but then on the dual carriageway, I noticed nobody was overtaking me and saw a string of about 20 cars behind me," he said. "When I eventually turned left into a road that would take me to the site entrance, all these cars turned left with me."

Three-quarters of a mile later, when he stopped at the site entrance, he heard car horns honking, he said. Thinking something had fallen off his vehicle, he got out and saw the queue of vehicles.

"The man at the front wound down his window and asked me which petrol station I was going to," he said. "When I said I wasn't, he asked me 'Why not?' and when I said I wasn't carrying petrol, he actually said 'You could have stopped and told us you weren't a petrol tanker.'

"I couldn't believe it... I just went full McEnroe and said 'You cannot be serious!'

"Then the bloke behind asked me where the nearest petrol station was. It just beggars belief."

Mr Anderson, who has been driving double-bellied mortar tankers for about six years, said while it was "quite funny", there was also a serious side. "My cargo isn't dangerous but if they are following a petrol tanker, their training is to call the police if they think they're being followed," he said. "People need to stop and think... driving a tanker, no matter what the product, is quite a pressurised job, so following them puts extra pressure on drivers already under pressure without having to worry about absolute morons."

And fuel tankers have to display signs warning of the flammability of the contents, but I suppose you can not expect the average motorist to understand that.

Doesn't everyone know their 3YE-1203 from their 1T-1910?

And how much petrol was consumed in following the tanker ?
And fuel tankers have to display signs warning of the flammability of the contents, but I suppose you can not expect the average motorist to understand that.

Doesn't everyone know their 3YE-1203 from their 1T-1910?

As has already been said, the current petrol panic is largely due to panic buying with no shortage of the fuel at depots and refineries.
That however might change. Greenpeace have blockaded the Shell oil facility at Rotterdam. If this is long continued or repeated elsewhere then there is the potential for actual shortages.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211004-greenpeace-boats-block-dutch-shell-refinery

Oh please no!!!

When you combine the petrol station issue with the antics of insulate Britain around and now in London, that “breakdown of society event” may not be far off.

When you are attempting to change the way we do things that improves the environment around us you need the public on your side and right now neither the government or these protesters have them on their side.

I was just completing my petrol station manager training at a Texaco in Portsmouth when the fuel protests/blockades of September 2000 took place, and to say that it was a baptism of fire would be somewhat of an understatement. When it ended, we were told that had it gone on any longer that we would have had to prepare - and I can still quote exactly - for a "breakdown of society event" - The situation was considered that serious.

Less than a month later I was managing my own petrol station in Gosport, and it was as if it never happened. I wouldnt want to go through the experience again though, and certainly not beyond the extent it got to in 2000.

Really, broadgage?

The UK doesn't, and actually can't, even under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, run over and shoot peaceful protesters. That would illegal under the Human Rights Act 1998. HRA 1998 is the one piece of legislation that cannot be amended, superceded or ignored when enacting emergency measures under CCA 2004. Even if the protesters turned violent there wouldn't be an order to arbitrarily kill civilians. Arrests, military backed dispersal, curfews, road blocks... all yes. Shoot-to-kill? No.

Judicial processes would still function under the Civil Contingencies Act.

If you want to further enflame civil unrest then extra-judicial killing is certainly the way to go.