Fuelled up for the dog show

ORGANISERS of this weekend's Darlington Dog Show have vowed the show will go on despite the petrol crisis.

It is hoped all 150-plus judges will be able to arrive in time for Friday's opening day and contingency plans are being made to ensure this happens.

Show chairman Maureen Hennis said "We obviously are making contingency plans. The show is going ahead, there is no possibility whatsoever of the show being cancelled."

Funeral theft: Thieves stole petrol from a hearse and limousine at the Co-op Funeral Home at Prudhoe, in the Tyne Valley. Steve Warren, of the North Eastern Co-op, said: "We are now putting security measures in place at our homes because petrol is obviously a valuable commodity."

IRONIC: Inflation fell last month, due to lower petrol and oil prices. The headline rate of inflation in August was three per cent, down from 3.3 per cent the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said.

EUROPE TOO: Protests against high fuel taxes continued in Europe. Government in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium insisted that, like Britain, they would not follow the example of France, which agreed to demands to subsidise fuel prices.

ANIMALS SUFFER: Animals charity the RSPCA said it was struggling to respond to calls for help for animal casualties because some of its vehicles had run out of fuel and supplies were drying up. All non-emergency activities have been suspended.

GERI STRANDED: Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell ran out of petrol yesterday in her Aston Martin DB7 near Bath. Her driver went to collect her, and she apologised to photographers at a photocall in London for the charity Breast Cancer Care with the Prime Minister's wife Cherie after arriving 15 minutes late.

TOLLS BLOW: European Court judges have ruled drivers must pay VAT on tolls for using the Dartford Tunnel, the Severn Bridges and the link to the Isle of Skye. But Customs and Excise has been asked to devise a scheme in which the Government will bear the extra cost.

TRAINS HIT: Some rail services in the South-West and South-East were stopping short because of diesel shortage. On the roads, Stagecoch made cuts in some services in Wales. National Express said it could run services until the end of the week.

PATIENTS AT RISK: Patients are being put at risk as doctors are having to cancel home visits and even ambulances run dry of diesel. And the blood donation service has warned that vital stocks could dwindle as mobile donation units run out of petrol.

WEDDING FLOAT: Bride-to-be Patricia Mountney, 52, has booked her brother's electric-powered milk float as her wedding carriage in Birmingham after her plan to hire a luxury limousine fell victim to the fuel crisis.

'INTO ANARCHY': Bill Morris, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, urged fuel protestors to end their action - they had now "crossed the line" from democracy into anarchy, he said.

MAIL DELAYS: The Post Office warned deliveries could be delayed if protests continue