UK drivers told not to panic as refinery prepares for strike

London: The British government on Saturday urged drivers not to hoard petrol, saying there was plenty to go around despite a looming strike at a Scottish oil refinery that has raised fears of fuel rationing.

The 48-hour strike, set to begin Sunday at the Grangemouth oil refinery in central Scotland, is expected to disrupt energy supplies and hinder delivery of Britain's North Sea oil.

"There is plenty of petrol and diesel in Scotland to meet demand during this period of time," said the government's business secretary, John Hutton. "But of course there is going to be a challenge if people change the way that they consume fuel.

"There is every reason believe that we will get through this period sensibly if people continue to buy fuel sensibly, too," Hutton told the BBC.

The government wants to avoid a repeat of scenes in 2000 when motorists were forced to line up at gas stations as truckers angry at heavily taxed fuel brought Britain to a standstill by blockading refineries.

Refinery owner Ineos shut down production at Grangemouth on Friday ahead of the strike. That could force oil producer BP PLC to shut its Forties Pipeline System, which delivers almost a third of Britain's North Sea oil production and is powered by electricity and steam from Grangemouth.

The government says the strike could force more than 70 platforms in the North Sea to halt production, at a cost of 50 million pounds a day.

Grangemouth is the major oil supplier to Scotland and parts of northern England, and those areas were expected to feel the greatest impact from the strike. Some gas stations in Scotland reported long lines, and imposed limits on the amount customers could purchase.