PANIC buying by thousands of motorists in many parts of Kent has left petrol pump staff struggling to meet demands.

Motorists raced to the petrol pumps after the Fuel Lobby Protest Group announced earlier this week that it was planning a three-day barricade from today over the high prices of fuel.

But by yesterday the group had clarified that truckers planned peaceful demonstrations only outside refineries.

There was a fairly low-key start to the three days of fuel price protests this morning with only tiny numbers of demonstrators at refineries.

Organisers of the protest said the campaign was meant to be symbolic and claimed that Gordon Brown and other members of the he Government were already on the "back foot".

After the panic buying on Tuesday resulted in garages selling out of petrol, suppliers said forecourts were being showly being replenished.

At many filling stations across the county on Monday and Tuesday, queues up to 20 cars deep could be seen waiting to refill.

Paul Myers, managing director of Huntdene Ltd, based at Crossways Business Park in Dartford, said: “We have no plans to blockade.”

Bus driver Jim Halford, of London Road, Swanley, said: “Those panic-buying should think about the people to whom being able to drive is essential. People like firefighters, paramedics and bus drivers.

“If they are just using their car to do the school run or pick up a bag of potatoes, then they could easily walk or catch the bus.”

The Parkfoot Garage Ltd in London Road, West Malling, began to run short on Monday. But a spokeswoman there said that, although it had been unusually busy, there had been no queuing and its deliveries continued to arrive.

One of the worst hit filling stations in the county was Shell UK Offham which admitted it was struggling to meet demand.

The station was expecting deliveries early in the week but they never arrived, and today had only Optimax available.

A spokesman said: "We are keeping our fingers crossed for deliveries."

Shell UK in Malling Road, Snodland, ran out of unleaded on Monday but tankers arrived to save the day. A spokeswoman said that they "didn’t have plenty" but she hoped their orders would keep coming in.

Tesco filling station in London Road, Larkfield, said it was running low on supplies on Monday and Tuesday because of the queues and was forced to shut its forecourt temporarily - but the shortfall was eventually covered by deliveries.

The Association of Chief Police Officers stressed today that any attempts to "disrupt essential goods and services that rely on oil" would be met by "firm action" from police forces around the country.