Record profits for Shell and BP
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The news that oil giants Shell and BP have reported record thirdquarter profits has angered hauliers and fuel protesters across the UK.
The GMB union's general secretary John Edmonds has also condemned the profits as "obscene", and has called for the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, to "slap a windfall tax on the fattest cats in the corporate jungle".
BP's profits more than doubled to 26bn in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, while Shell recorded an 80% jump to 22.24bn.
However, Shell insists it made no money from its 11,000 UK forecourts, and says it lost 110m because of reduced sales during the September fuel protests.
Defending the rise, a Shell spokesman says: "On this occasion they [the profits] were driven by high crude prices, over which we have no control. Given the size of the organisation and its involvement in more than 100 countries around the world, they are justified."