Motorists in Keighley went to extreme lengths this week to get their hands on fuel -- with some drivers even succumbing to "pump rage" and fighting on the forecourts.

Fears of refinery blockades -- which never materialised -- led to panic buying across the town.

Long queues were spotted throughout Keighley in the early part of the week, with several stations running dry for short periods.

Sarah Webb, from Silsden Service Station, said: "It's been horrendous -- total mayhem. We had four days' worth sold in one day and people have been fighting over the stuff.

"The only problem is people panic buying, which is then causing the shortage. I think a lot of people have been stirred up by what they've seen on the television and in the media.

"We ran low on unleaded but it's not going to be a problem. It's not like five years ago."

She added that the station had banned customers using containers to stock up.

Alexander McMillan, manager of Snax 24 Ltd, in Station Road, Cross Hills, said queues had been seen from 6am until midnight.

He said: "We never ran out but we were selling it at three times the normal rate. We're open 24 hours and even during the night it was busy. We were getting a tanker delivery every day."

A spokeswoman from Keighley's Hard Ings service station said the store had been far busier than normal and long queues had been the norm.

At Cross Hills Service Station, Emma Lee said it had run out of diesel by Wednesday but had then received a fuel delivery to ease the burden.

She added that the station had been "extremely busy" all week.