French fuel firms seek emergency supplies amid strikes

France's petrol distributors have urged the government to release emergency fuel stocks following strikes that have blocked most French oil refineries.

The firms warn that only 10 days' fuel is left. They also want protesters blocking fuel depots to be removed, reports BBC News.

Earlier, French officials said there would be no shortages for at least a month, and warned against panic buying. Unions are organizing protests and strikes against government plans to raise the retirement age.

Eight of France's 12 mainland refineries are reported to be shutting down operations because of the blockades.

The distributors warned that unless action was taken there would be petrol shortages across the country.

Jean-Louis Schilansky, President of the French Oil Industry Association (UFIP), said that on average they had about 10 days of supplies left in depots.

"We ask permission to dip into the reserve stocks available to distributors, to support customers beyond these 10 days," he said.

He also called on the government to "unblock the depots which protesters are preventing from working".

Strikes at the refineries, which began as a dispute over port reform, have now spread to 8 out of 12 plants around the country.

Elsewhere there are rolling strikes in the energy and transport sectors, though nowhere near as effective as the strikes at the refineries.

Buses and metro trains are still running. But there are worrying signs the mood of the demonstrations is turning ugly with more and more students now joining the movement.

There is a national demonstration planned for Saturday and another round of strikes on 19 October. The government says it can't and won't back down - but then neither will the unions, and according to polls they have more than 70% of the public's support.