High fuel prices has long been a difficult issue for motorists, businesses and the government. But with the threat of three days of refinery blockades starting today, the issue has come to a head once again and panic-buying has started. ANTHONY HARVISON looks at what the current petrol crisis means for the region.

IF FUEL protesters take action today then everyone will suffer - that is the opinion of Mid Cheshire businesses, which are being hit hard with the dramatic rise in petrol prices.

The Fuel Lobby's announcement last week of possible blockades of all UK refineries from today until Friday has brought back memories of the fuel crisis five years ago.

Service stations have reported massive queues as people panic buy, anticipating the pumps going dry as they did during the Stanlow blockades of 2000.

Stanlow was seen as the greatest consumer revolt of Blair's administration and the most successful mass-public protest ever over the levels of taxation on fuels; now with the price of unleaded breaking the £1 barrier, the Fuel Lobby hopes to make the Government step in once again.

Businesses struggling to cope with the rise in fuel costs support the protesters in principal. Ayo Scott, manager of independent service station Snax 24, on Winnington Lane, is very worried about the future.

He said: 'The price of petrol is too high and there's no reason for it to be up to that level.

'I suffer because of it - the lower the prices the more the demand and if prices are high, people will drive around and try and find cheaper. My price is 94.9p but a penny means a lot. We can't decide the price we sell it, when the Government puts the price up it has to go up.

'The Government should be reasonable and I think Gordon Brown will lower taxes when the public stand up to it - it's going to affect the market and aspects of business as well as the emergency services.

'We've seen an increase in customers queuing for petrol. It started on Friday and on Monday morning the queue was to the road; I think it is only going to get worse.

'I've been telling customers no matter what the situation I've got to give emergency people, police, ambulance, doctors on call, priority first.'

What Mr Scott is opposed to is the effects a fuel blockade will have on the public. Arthur Warner, who runs a taxi firm in Winsford, goes further, calling the protesters 'selfish'.

'If they block petrol then it's not the Government this is going to cause problems for, it is the people trying to make a living and run a business,' he said.

'They should think about what they are doing. There are a lot of children out there who rely on taxis to get to school.

'Last time they went on strike we were allowed so much fuel to take children with special needs to school but as it got worse we weren't allowed any more.

'I'm hoping there's not going to be a repeat of the last one - we are not a multi-million pound company and can go out of business over-night.'

It seems Mr Warner, and many other small business owners, are in a Catch-22 situation; a protest will damage business, but fuel prices as they stand are equally crippling.

'I don't think the price of fuel is fair,' he continued. 'At the end of the day we are just being dragged into Bush and Blair's row about oil fields.

'Some of us are not massive businesses, we are only just making a living and working hard to do so but we are getting less and less customers.'

The haulage industry is also badly affected and Peter Cross, manager of G Cross & Sons Ltd in Wincham says the increase in fuel prices, estimated to be up 14% in one month, have been 'horrendous'.

'There are lots of pressures and fuel is one more that doesn't help,' he said. 'The price of fuel has gone up throughout Europe but we are taxed heavily. Lots of foreign operators come to the UK with full tanks of fuel they have bought in France or Holland. It is an unfair business advantage.'

A smoother ride may be the answer to the crisis on forecourts

IF FUEL prices are going through the roof and protesters threaten blockades of refineries, there is only one solution - use less petrol.

Ideally we would all either use public transport or car share, but it is a policy that has never held much sway with the British motoring public.

So a quick visit to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) website could well pay financial dividends and keep the cost of motoring a little lower.

They say the key thing to optimising fuel economy is being in the correct gear.

Optimum economy levels are not just about the engine and road speeds; throttle openings are important factors too.

You actually consume a lot more fuel, and you are much less environmentallyfriendly, if you are in a high gear (fourth or fifth) at a low road speed (30 mph or less).

That is because the throttle opening has to be wider to address the imbalance between the inappropriate gear and your speed.

More fuel is admitted into the manifold and the engine, and the result is that you tend to increase your road speed.

But, if you select a more responsive gear (third) for the same road speed (30 mph or less) and you use a 'light right foot', the throttle opening will be narrower and less fuel consumed.

Smoother driving gives you better control of the vehicle and improved passenger comfort - plus it's more economic and more environmentally friendly.

Contact point For information on this or any other aspect of driving or riding please contact the IAM on 020 8996 9600 or visit the www.iam.org.uk website.