Families 'will forego Easter holidays due to fuel crisis' John Franklin, also of the RAC, said many concerned about the possibility of industrial action next week, should negotiations between Unite and oil companies break down, will choose to stay at home at the weekend to conserve fuel. There is no doubt thousands of people who might normally go away will reconsider and change their plans. In Porthcurno, Cornwall, beaches were deserted yesterday despite splendid sunshine. Last week petrol stations across Britain ran dry as motorists queued to fill their tanks and storage containers of with fuel, after tanker drivers balloted for strike action over health and safety and demands for a return to collective bargaining. On Thursday almost four days' worth of petrol was sold. The Government was accused of stoking panic after Francis Maude, the Cabinet Minister, called on motorists to fill jerrycans at home. Val Hawkins, chief executive of Mid Wales Tourism, said Mr Maude's suggestion had angered tourist businesses. Everyone is concerned about the high price of fuel, and everyone is disappointed by the Government's advice to fill up with fuel. It was just appalling. What are they trying to do? They really were getting people worried unnecessarily ten days before Easter. The entire market is very price dependent, and fuel will play a part in that. Brian Madderson, chairman of Retail Motor Industry Petrol said some petrol stations will not receive supplies of fuel until Good Friday. "The panic buying that peaked on Thursday this week has clearly impacted on the supply chain more than anyone cares to admit at present," he said. Today Unite, the drivers' union, is expected to begin talks with seven oil companies and Acas, the industrial conciliation service. The AA forecasts 54 per cent of families will take to the roads over the Easter weekend, with traffic peaking on Maundy Thursday. But three quarters of motorists say they are less likely to make a long-distance journey because of the price of fuel, its research found. The average price of a litre of unleaded hit a record high of 141.31p on Friday, on the back of demand almost four times the usual level. Industry bodies expect hikes of up to 10p a litre over the week in areas where fuel is particularly scarce. Bob Atkinson, from travelsupermarket.com, said he expected hundreds of thousands of families to search for last-minute foreign breaks, at the expense of the British tourism industry. Forecasters have predicted rain, frost and even some snow from Good Friday onwards. Dr Richard Wild, forecaster at Weathernet, said: "It will be nothing like the high temperatures we have seen recently. It looks like it will be a cloudy Easter with a few showers here and there. The only sunshine will be generally brief with early morning frosts throughout the whole of the weekend.