Huddersfield running out of fuel due to snow and ice
Dec 3 2010 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
DRIVERS could be left without fuel because of the Arctic weather.
Petrol stations in Huddersfield are running low on supplies – as heavy snow halts deliveries to the forecourts.
Tanker drivers have been unable to get supplies out of the big refineries in Humberside, which like Huddersfield has been gridlocked by the freezing weather.
And industry leaders are warning that by the weekend, thousands of motorists could be left without petrol.
Chris Stern, of petrol retailer CJ Stern (Oils) Ltd, based at Paddock, said: “Nobody has run out of fuel in Huddersfield as far as I am aware, but the next 48 hours will be critical.
“In bad weather, the public like to fill up in case they get stuck, but I would urge motorists to carry on as normal.”
Mr Stern said petrol deliveries from the Conoco Jet and Total refineries at Immingham – which supply petrol stations across West Yorkshire – had been hit by the bad weather.
“The tankers there have not turned a wheel,” he said. “Some of the delivery drivers cannot get into work to get to the terminal.”
Retailers in West Yorkshire were generally unable to turn to the Shell refinery at Ellesmere Port or supplies piped to Trafford Park, Manchester, because those sites already had their work cut out trying to supply their existing customers.
