British drivers queued for fuel at some filling stations on Tuesday as fears grew that oil supplies might be disrupted, although retailers said there were no problems yet and urged customers not to panic.
The rush to fill up came after demonstrators who brought the country to a halt five years ago by blockading oil refineries called for repeat protests against high fuel prices this week.
"Customers watching the television news and reading the papers feel they need to top up, but there's no need," said a spokesman for British retailer Tesco, which has 380 filling stations dotted around the country.
"There are absolutely no supply problems so our message to customers is not to change their buying patterns," he said.
The Fuel Lobby, a group of campaigners that wants lower fuel prices, called on the public to blockade oil refineries across Britain from 6 am (0500 GMT) on Wednesday but truck drivers have so far appeared reluctant to join in.
The cost of a litre of petrol climbed above a pound ($1.82) in some parts of the country last week after the price of oil on world markets hit a record of more than $70 a barrel.
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