THURSDAY NOVEMBER 02 2000 Oil giants' profits enrage protesters BY ANDREW PIERCE, VALERIE ELLIOTT AND PAUL ARMSTRONG THE first petrol stations ran dry last night as suppliers confirmed that there had been a surge in sales since Jack StrawBs call on Monday for vital services to stockpile fuel in case protests flared up again.

The prospect of a new wave of disruption increased when the protest leaders discovered that Shell will today announce record profits of $3.4 billion (B#2.3 billion) for the third quarter of the year. Feelings will be inflamed further when BP declare its best figures yet on Tuesday, the eve of the ChancellorBs Pre-Budget Report.

The soaring profits came as Esso confirmed that there had been a strong increase in sales in the past few days and that one of its garages in Pinner, North London, had run out of unleaded fuel. Other Esso and Elf petrol stations had run dry in Romford, Essex, and a BP garage in Haverstock Hill, North London, was also out of fuel. The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers also reported a big increase in sales, but Esso said this was due to families filling up after the half-term holiday and the result of the rail upheaval that had driven people back to their cars. The company urged motorists not to start panic buying.

Ministers are meeting leaders of the fuel uprising, but the scale of the oil companiesB profit forecasts have hardened opinion. Andrew Spence, of the PeopleBs Fuel Lobby, said: BThe profits are ridiculous. If the fuel companies are making these sorts of profits, just look at the windfall the Government is making.B

Mr Spence said that if there was panic buying, then Jack Straw, who is in charge of the governmentBs emergency planning, was to blame for his comments on Monday about stockpiling. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,28975,00.html

-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), November 01, 2000