Takoradi, Oct 6, GNA - An acute shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has hit Sekondi-Takoradi for the past two weeks with all the outlets in the Metropolis displaying "NO GAS" signs at their stations. Some domestic users of the product have resorted to charcoal and firewood while some taxi drivers whose vehicles use LPG have parked their cars.

At the Makarious Vineyard at Ntankorful a suburb of Takoradi, Mr John Aikins, Manager of the station, said their supply had run out and had not received any supply.

He said it was not true that retailers were hoarding in anticipation of a price increase.

Madam Jessie Asiedu, Manageress of Tropic Gas, located on the Sekondi road, said the outlet run short of the product, adding that, it received eight tonnes on Wednesday night and would begin serving the public on Thursday.

She attributed the shortage to the closure of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) for repairs. Madam Asiedu said the company did not get any supply for two weeks and expressed the hope that with the repairs at TOR almost completed the product would be supplied regularly. She said many customers had deposited their empty cylinders at the centre.

At the Praba station, an attendant said sales resumed immediately the outlet was supplied on Tuesday. Some commercial drivers have indicated that they would switch from petrol to LPG due to its efficiency. Speaking to GNA at the Takoradi Kokompe, Mr. John Smith, a taxi driver who had gone there to fix a fault on his car, said LPG could save him from the increasing cost of petrol. He said his colleagues who use LPG have advised him to fix his car so that he could use LPG when petrol was out of supply or the price got too high to enable him to meet his daily income target. 6 Oct 05