PANICKING motorists have been blamed for causing petrol pumps to dry up and sending prices soaring.
Large queues formed at petrol stations across Hyndburn earlier in the week amid unfounded fears of a blockade at refineries causing a shortage like the one in 2000.
But in the end Wednesday's petrol price protest proved a damp squib, with only a handful of demonstrators turning out.
And the shortages that did occur were caused by worried motorists filling their tanks.
The worst run on petrol was on Monday night and Tuesday morning, when queues outside Accrington's BP service station brought Hyndburn Road to a standstill and blocked the viaduct roundabout.
Queen Street Garage in Great Harwood ran out of unleaded petrol on Tuesday, and the Griffin Service Station, Burnley Road, Huncoat, also had empty pumps.
Adams Service Station on Blackburn Road, Accrington, ran out of all fuel on Tuesday afternoon following 22 hours of panic buying.
Owner Joe Ullah said: "It was unbelievable. The cars started coming at 7pm and just didn't stop. I stayed open an extra three hours til 1am to meet the demand and they were back again at 7am on Tuesday.
"The silly thing is there was no need to panic buy, there was no problem with supply - we'd be the first to know if there was."
This message was echoed by filling station managers across the area, including the one on Abbey Street, Accrington, which had to control almost continuous traffic flow outside the forecourt from Sunday to Wednesday.
An assistant there said: "The whole thing has been sensationalised by the media. There is no shortage."
At some garages prices rocketed because of the demand.
The Willows Lane Service Station, Accrington, charged £1.05 a litre for four hours on Tuesday - believed to be the highest in the area - but it still didn't stop desperate motorists queuing to fill up their tanks.
A member of staff said: "I couldn't cope. This is only a small garage and there were people pipping their horns and shouting at one another.
"We had an expensive delivery last week due to the crisis so we had no choice but to put the prices up. They are now back down to 98.7p a litre for diesel and 97.9p for unleaded. We even had to put a £10 limit on fuel."
A spokesperson for the UK Petrol Industry Association confirmed: "There is absolutely no problem with supply. In those places where there is a temporary shortage it is purely down to panic buying.
"People are worried it's a repeat of the 2000 shortage, but it's not - trucks are out as normal delivering fuel and we're keeping in regular touch with suppliers to monitor the situation."
