‘Up to 500 forecourts’ could be out of fuel by tonight as protests set to continue

Parcel courier service DPD has also said it is temporarily suspending its services in Ireland tomorrow, due to the fuel protests.

Yesterday, An Garda Síochána said that some protesters had "significantly escalated an already difficult situation" by targeting critical infrastructure such as fuel depots and refineries.

"These are no longer protests, they are blockades. These blockades are putting at risk supplies of food, fuel, clean water and animal feed," Deputy Commissioner of Policing Operations, Shawna Coxon, said in a statement.

"These are critical for the nation and its people. This is not tolerable and is against the law."

An Garda Síochána advised protestors to "immediately cease blockades of such critical infrastructure or face the full rigours of the law".

Now, we've reached the fourth day of the protests. Though demonstrators have allowed some deliveries to pass through fuel depots and Ireland's only refinery, so that emergency and other critical services have access to the product, blockades continue.

Fuels for Ireland CEO Kevin McPartlan has claimed that these protests will impact forecourt operations.

In a statement to JOE, he said: "Even if these protests ended today and everything was fully unblocked, the consequences would not end today.

"It would still take up to a week before forecourts were operating close to normal again, and in some cases, recovery could take longer.

"Once a disruption of this scale takes hold, there is no instant reset. Stocks have to be rebuilt, deliveries rescheduled, and normal distribution patterns restored across the network.

"If current conditions continue, there could be up to 500 forecourts out of fuel by tonight."

McPartlan also said that this is now a "national fuel distribution issue", with it "no longer confined to one area".

"The longer this continues, the greater the risk to motorists, businesses and essential services right across the country," he continued.

"Fuels for Ireland wants to make clear, this is not an actual shortage of fuel in the Irish market. The immediate problem is a serious supply disruption.

"Fuel is there, but it is not moving normally through the system because key infrastructure and distribution routes have been blocked.

"That means we are now close to widespread no-fuel conditions at forecourts, not because the country has run out of fuel, but because the supply chain is being prevented from operating as it should."

The protests look set to continue as several of its organisers were denied access to a meeting on Friday between government ministers and farming and haulage representatives.

One of the groups behind the demonstrations, The People Of Ireland Against Fuel Prices Protest, wrote on social media this afternoon: "Our representatives were refused the opportunity to enter and speak on behalf of the people.

"Rather than listening to the concerns of ordinary workers, families, farmers, hauliers, and small businesses, the government has chosen not to take this issue seriously.

"This has only strengthened the resolve of everyone involved.

"We are now calling on people right across Ireland to come out and stand with us in support of fairer fuel prices and relief from the rising cost of living.

"If you support this cause, please make your way in your vehicles to the protest locations already known in your local areas and stand united with your county.

"We will not accept being ignored, and we will not be pushed aside. This movement is about the people of Ireland being heard and standing together for change.

"Now is the time for the people of Ireland to rise together, stand peacefully, and show that this fight matters to every household, every worker, and every community in the country."

Parcel courier service DPD, meanwhile, has said it is temporarily suspending its services in the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, 11 April, due to the fuel protests.

Main image via Rolling News