By Bernie Bell

When Mike was going into work on Wednesday morning he passed a petrol station where he could see  a man with a transit van who had a load of big plastic containers which he was filling with petrol – one after the other and stashing them next to the open doors of the back of his van.  Even just in passing, Mike could see that he’d filled about half a dozen, and was continuing to do so.

I’m pretty sure that that’s illegal, as it could be dangerous if he had an accident with a van full of cans of petrol.  We thought maybe he was going South and wanted to be sure of having petrol, but…….on a ferry, with a van load of cans of petrol?

How was he getting away with it, as surely the petrol station has surveillance cameras, and should have told him not to?

I emailed a friend about this, and her response was……….”I wonder how many rolls of toilet paper he has stashed away from last year. And pasta.”   Indeed.

When there was all the stuff on the telly about there possibly being petrol shortages we both suspected that there would be – because people would see it on the news, act silly and panic buy.  It looks like the situation is easing now – possibly because people think the situation is easing because they’ve been told that it is, and that Boris is a marvel for sorting it all out – if in doubt – bring in the Army!  But Dingbats like that man aren’t helping the situation, and….. it’s dangerous!

When I come across something like that I always think of Bob Marley’s song ‘One Love’ –  “Is there a place for the hopeless sinner, who has hurt all mankind, just to save his own beliefs?”

What good does it do them? We all have to make a living but can do so honestly, without ripping off other people.

It is his Karma – but that is scant consolation to those who his behaviour is affecting right now if they can’t get petrol due to his greed – or who might be blown to smithereens if his van full of petrol was in a traffic accident!