Warning over petrol panic buying

Picketers at Grangemouth on the first day of the strike

The public have been warned not to panic buy petrol as a strike by 600 tanker drivers enters its second day.

Pickets have been set up in Aberdeen, Grangemouth and Inverness by members of the Unite union, as part of a UK-wide action by drivers working for Shell.

The four-day strike over a pay claim began at 0600 BST on Friday.

There are reports of sporadic fuel shortages at petrol forecourts across Scotland. Shell operates one in ten forecourts in the UK.

Some petrol stations in the Strathspey area along the A9 have said they have run out of diesel.

In Inverness, four sites said they had no diesel - but another four have supplies.

Brisk trade

One site in Aviemore is rationing sales to customers and other retailers near Oban and in Perthshire said they had concerns about whether scheduled supplies will reach them.

A number of sites in Glasgow have reported a brisk trade - but so far shortages are limited.

Many petrol stations the BBC have spoken to said they would have enough fuel if customers do not panic buy.

The Scottish Motor Trade Association, which represents independent retailers, earlier said the public seemed to be heeding the government message not to panic buy.

The striking tanker drivers are contracted to Shell

Unite has said that Shell is one of the UK's most profitable companies, making about �1.3bn a month.

The drivers are calling for a minimum wage of �36,000 a year, about �2,000 more than they are currently paid.

They claim their salary has not risen in the past 15 years and that the dispute could be resolved at a cost of �1m a year.

But the workers' employer, Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport, have claimed their latest offer would take the drivers' wages to �39,000.

The company and union have confirmed that if there is no resolution, another four-day stoppage would take place next weekend.

After the strike began on Friday, many drivers from other distribution firms refused to cross the picket line to fill up on fuel.

Fuel from Grangemouth is distributed right across Scotland, although other distribution points like Shell's oil terminal in Aberdeen and the Inverness depot have also been picketed.

The picket at Grangemouth comes just months after a 48-hour strike over pensions resulted in the refinery being shut down.

The industrial action by 1,250 workers at the plant in April was the first at any refinery in the UK for 73 years, and also led to the closure of the Forties North Sea oil pipeline.

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