Island residents could be putting themselves and others at risk by stockpiling fuel at home unnecessarily, the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has warned.
Supplies on the Island are unlikely to be affected by threatened strike action by tanker drivers due to the way fuel is supplied to the Island. The company that distributes the vast majority of fuel on the Island has indicated that its drivers will not be striking should such action be called, so supplies should remain normal as long as people don’t panic buy. However there is some evidence that motorists are stockpiling unnecessarily. 'Supplies not expected to be disrupted' Justin Harden, head of community risk for the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said: “Drivers should continue to buy fuel as normal here on the Island as supplies are not expected to be disrupted like they may be elsewhere. “There is no need for people to stockpile fuel at home, and in any case we would not advise people to store large amounts of petrol in garages, due to the increased risks to occupiers and firefighters. “Petrol is a dangerous substance which, when present can dramatically increase the risk of fire.” 'Plenty of fuel' David Hathaway of Pace Petroleum, which operates the Island’s fuel storage facility, has assured residents there is plenty of fuel available: “Fuel is mostly supplied to the Island by ship from the mainland and this operation will not be affected even if a strike of tanker drivers takes place. "Moreover, the majority of the petrol and diesel sold by Island filling stations is supplied to them by our tanker drivers on the Island and they have indicated that they will not be taking part in any industrial action even if it occurs elsewhere. "Therefore, as long as people don’t panic buy there will be plenty of fuel to go around and supplies from the Cowes terminal will continue as normal.”
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