PETROL companies were today trying to re-stock the forecourts of East Lancashire after fuel fever caused shortages throughout the area.

Petrol stations reported queues building up all day yesterday with some filling stations running dry of unleaded fuel and on the brink of closing.

But the national leader of the petrol price protest, Dave Handley, insisted there was no immediate threat to supplies.

"The only people hyping this up are the Government," said Mr Handley.

"We have gone on record telling everybody we are not going back to the refineries."

And the director of the Petrol Retailers' Association, Ray Holloway, assured motorists that petrol stocks remained plentiful.

Mike Sheridan, owner of Accrington Service Station on Abbey Street, said: "There has been unprecedented demand and we have sold more fuel than we did at the height of the fuel blockades last time.

"We will soon have to make a decision on whether we can stay open to the public for much longer because we have to keep some stocks for the emergency services."

A cashier at Blackburn Service Station, Whalley Banks, said they were down to four star and diesel but were expecting a tanker delivery today.

A spokesman for Morrisons store in Blackburn said customers were being rationed to £15 each but stressed there was no need for drivers to panic buy.