LINDA JOHNSTON

The owners of a giant oil refinery yesterday appealed for fresh talks to try to avert a strike that could disrupt fuel supplies across the country.

Fuel production could be hit from as early as today as the Grangemouth plant - Scotland's only crude oil refinery - begins to shut down in preparation for Sunday's strike by members of the Unite union.

Ineos, the company that runs the facility, has said it could take up to a month before production gets back to normal.

Meanwhile, motorists have been warned that panic buying at petrol forecourts could lead to fuel shortages.

There are fears that petrol stations could run dry as they did eight years ago when lorry drivers and farmers blockaded oil depots in protest at rising fuel prices.

That crisis resulted in hospitals cancelling routine operations, shops rationing food and temporary school closures. Stuart Mackinnon, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that some of its members had already reported fuel shortages.

He said: "We have already had calls from members who are having trouble getting access to fuel. From my understanding of the crisis this is down to panic buying.

"Those members are in the Highlands and islands where there is a great reliance on fuel because of the distance to the market.

"We would like the union and the company to resolve this matter as soon as possible. If that requires the Scottish Government or Westminster to step in then so be it."

Tankers leaving Grangemouth usually distribute more than 200,000 barrels every day, accounting for more than 10% of the UK's fuel.

Refinery owners have appealed to union officials to allow fuel to be brought to its deep-water jetty during the strike, and to allow tankers to supply Scotland's fuel. For this scheme to work, the union would have to allow some of its members to operate the jetty. Some parts of the plant would also have to remain open.

The stoppage will also close down a large proportion of North Sea oil production as well as some gas production that goes through the plant.

Emergency planning talks between the Scottish administration and Whitehall began last week to ensure that fuel supplies were available for emergency services.

In his party conference speech in Edinburgh yesterday, First Minister Alex Salmond compared the threat of disruption to fuel supplies to the Glasgow Airport terrorist attack.

He added: "Let our message, Scotland's message, be crystal clear: both sides should stop debating with each other over the airwaves, return to the negotiating table, and stay there until they resolve their differences."

The two-day walk-out at Grangemouth has been called in protest at plans to close the final salary pension scheme to new workers.

Phil McNulty, national officer of Unite, said: "This is a vastly profitable business and the proportion spent on pensions of the company's turnover and profit is a midge bite."