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More on KentOnline
The public face of a campaign calling for fairer fuel prices has branded jokers who registered his home as a petrol station as "puerile and sick" after fielding more than 70 calls from motorists desperate for petrol.
Howard Cox, who fronts FairFuel UK and lives in Cranbrook, says he was besieged by drivers after a prankster put his home address on Google and marked it up as a Shell garage - complete with picture of a forecourt and review.
He says he has received more than 70 calls before finally convincing Google to remove it.
He told KOL: "I got home the night before last and this bloke asked if I had any petrol there. I was like 'what?'. It sounds funny but when you get 70 calls it makes you annoyed.
"I've done lots of media appearances recently about the petrol crisis so my name is out there and some idiot has gone out there thinking its funny. It's not funny at all. You just don't do that sort of thing.
"It's probably a militant environmentalist or militant cyclist - it's those sorts of people who do this sort of thing."
FairFuel UK has long campaigned for fairer prices for UK motorists at the pump - urging the government to stop prices rising.
And it's not the first time he's had trouble.
He explains: "I've had faeces through the door, wrapped up in a cycle glove, and things like that. I've been subject to a lot of this, and all I'm trying to do is help UK drivers get a better deal."
However, he does have some hope for the current fuel crisis.
While saying he didn't think the government's expected announcement tomorrow of visas for 5,000 overseas lorry drivers "will even touch the sides" he does believe the problem will be shortlived.
He explains: "The scaremongering by Grant Shapps saying don't panic is obviously going to create panic. We know that from the toilet roll problems during Covid.
"I think it will still be pretty bad for a couple of days but in three or four days everything will be back to normal. Petrol and diesel is in full supply - it's just the driver shortage."
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