Business sets a sensible example and refuses to panic buy ahead of fuel strike

A poll of over 1000 UK businesses is published today by the British Chambers of Commerce, ahead of a possible oil tanker driver strike on Friday. The snap poll shows that business will overwhelmingly refuse to panic buy fuel ahead of a planned four-day strike.

77 per cent of businesses polled replied with a resounding no, when asked if they would stockpile petrol or diesel if faced with a strike.
Commenting, Director-General of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost, said:

"Hopefully these findings will help quash any fear of panic buying at the pumps ahead of any industrial action by tanker drivers. Businesses are of course concerned about the impact of planned strike action, but they are setting a sensible example here.

"Clearly businesses do not want this issue to escalate to a much more dangerous level where the wider economy could be damaged. This poll shows that business is capable of behaving sensibly in the best interests of the wider public, now the Government must also show it understands the problems of the high price of oil and the broader problems it is causing to the economy. The Government must now commit to scrapping the 2p fuel duty rise planned for October."

Ends

Media Contacts:

Fiona Cunningham
Tel: 020 7654 5812
Email: f.cunningham@britishchambers.org.uk

OR

Sam Turvey
Tel: 020 7654 5813
Email: s.turvey@britishchambers.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

1108 businesses responded to the question:

Faced with a fuel strike on Friday, will your business stockpile on fuel?

* 254 responded yes they would stockpile
* 854 responded no they would not stockpile

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the National Voice of Local Business.
The BCC sits at the heart of a powerful nationwide network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce serving business across the UK, which employ over five million people.