SHELL’S Stanlow oil refinery near Ellesmere Port is one of those expected to be hit by a strike by tanker drivers on Friday.

The planned four-day strike by 500 oil tanker drivers was attacked by Downing Street as the Government urged motorists not to panic-buy fuel amid fears of petrol shortages.

The drivers work out of 14 terminals across the UK, including the giant Stanlow plant in Cheshire.

Members of the Unite union employed by two firms working on Shell contracts are due to walk out from 6am on Friday until 6am the following Tuesday in a pay dispute which could hit one in 10 filling stations across the UK.

Talks aimed at resolving the row will be held at a secret location today under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas, but time is running out to break the deadlocked row.

Unite assistant general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Only Shell sets the terms of this contract and only it can solve this dispute. This is one of the most profitable companies on earth and it now needs to provide the financial flexibility to avert this dispute.

“It is no use Shell bosses, who have themselves enjoyed 15%-plus pay increases in the last year, sitting on their hands.

“They have 72 hours to start focusing on avoiding the disruption this will cause to the general public, who are already mindful of the staggering profits Shell rakes in.”

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman said contingency plans were in hand to minimise disruption.

He said: “We believe that this strike is unnecessary and we would want to ensure that nothing was done that inconvenienced the public.

“But the most responsible thing the public can do is to continue to buy as normal.”

Downing Street said contingency measures included allowing suppliers to share information about stocks without falling foul of competition laws.

“The Government is working with the wider fuel industry on what could be done to reduce any disruption to the public and business,” the PM’s spokesman said.

“We do not believe that any strike action is justified because that would disproportionately impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the country not involved in this dispute.”

alanweston