Grangemouth oil refinery back in business

Workers at the Ineos oil refinery in Grangemouth have returned to work after a 48-hour strike, but it could still take up to a month for the facility to be fully re-opened.

• Government could bring in fuel rationing

The oil firm was forced to shut the refinery during the strike, which was called following a dispute between members of the Unite union and Ineos over the closure of a final salary pension scheme.

• Britain’s fuel prices highest in Europe

A spokesman for Ineos told MCN last week that it could take up to three weeks to get the refinery back up and running after the shutdown, because the firm feared pressurised pipes may have been damaged by the shut-down.

Ineos’ Grangemouth facility supplies petrol stations in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north of England. Some filling stations had begun rationing its fuel, amid fears of widespread shortages.

The Scottish Executive has urged consumers not to panic buy petrol, stating there are enough supplies to last into May if people don’t buy more fuel than they normally would.