FIRE chiefs and the Office of Fair Trading have reassured motorists that it is business as usual as regards fuel in the island.
They have issued a joint statement saying that the possible strike by tanker drivers in the UK will have no effect in the Isle of Man, as supplies are brought in by sea and do not use road tankers.
And the Fire and Rescue and Service and OFT is urging residents against storing excessive amounts of fuel.
A fire service spokesman said: ‘The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service and the Office of Fair Trading strongly recommend against the storing of excessive amounts of fuel, which is both illegal and a danger in case of fire.
‘The OFT advises that there are controls in place governing the storage of petroleum spirit (petrol) in quantities of more than 10 litres.
‘Anyone storing more than 10 litres of petrol must obtain a licence from the OFT. This does not apply to petrol stored in the fuel tanks of vehicles.’
Householders were advised that any incidents arising from the illegal storage of petrol in domestic premises, including garages and workshops, may mean that they will face legal action by the OFT.
They should also be aware of the fact that their home insurance policies may not cover such incidents.
It is dangerous to store petrol at home as it is highly flammable and gives off flammable vapour, even at low temperatures.
In the statement it said that there was no form of action planned by the Isle of Man’s road tanker drivers.
And it said that the issues which have led to a possible strike in the UK are not relevant to the island.
In the UK, Unite union members are threatening to strike over pay and conditions. This led to the UK Coalition Government suggesting that people should store jerry cans of petrol in their garage – a suggestion that was swiftly condemned by the emergency services.
Some 90 per cent of UK forecourts are supplied by the more than 2,000 members of the union at the centre of the dispute. There are plans to put military personnel through a training course to enable them to take the place of striking drivers behind the wheel of commercial tankers.
Energy Minister Ed Davey MP has clarified the advice being given to the public after UK government calls to ‘top up’ tanks were blamed for some panic-buying at petrol stations last week.
The OFT has produced leaflets on the safe storage of petrol. See {http://www.gov.im/oft|www.gov.im/oft}.