Rush at the pumps

THE recent faulty fuel problems led one petrol station in Comet country to run out of unleaded petrol as drivers boycotted larger supermarkets.

Ralph Game (Stevenage) Ltd, on Primett Road, Stevenage, ran out of unleaded petrol last weekend as drivers who stayed clear of larger stations over fears over petrol supplies turned instead to smaller outlets.

Thousands of motorists last week reported engine troubles after filling up with unleaded petrol from some retailers including Tesco.

Tests on samples of unleaded petrol from a storage depot in Essex found traces of silicon in the supplies.

David Game, director of Ralph Game, said a batch of unleaded petrol delivered to his station on Thursday which would normally have lasted until Monday afternoon was gone by Friday evening.

Mr Game said: "It went in less than half of the time. The critical day was Thursday when it all came out about drivers having problems with their vehicles.

"We were far busier then usual and this led to us running out of unleaded as drivers were beginning to boycott the larger supermarkets.

"It was more to do with that than it was to do with panic buying and our sales are still up on this time last week."

Tesco was among the outlets affected and as a precautionary measure the company replaced all of its supplies in petrol stations in the South East, including Hertfordshire.

A Tesco freephone hotline has been set up for anybody affected by the problems. They can call 0800 028 6428, alternatively they can visit www.tesco.com for more information.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "If they've got a receipt then that would be good, otherwise any information they can supply would very helpful.

"It is best that they phone the hotline and speak to one of our representatives who will try to help. Every case is judged on an individual merit.