Static electricity could cause a small spark when a petrol pump nozzle is inserted which could in turn ignite fuel vapour in a flash fire.

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Others plan to install a petrol pump at the door.

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In a situation that would have been unthinkable a few years ago, a recent training course in Muscat for petrol-pump attendants was oversubscribed five times by Omanis themselves.

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This week it announced a deal with producers and distributors for a three-month reduction in petrol prices at the pump.

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Mr Blair's message came ahead of a nationwide petrol boycott of garages - "Dump the Pump" - planned for 1 August, which has attracted a huge amount of support via the Internet.

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America has suffered an especially large rise in petrol prices, because tax makes up a smaller part of the price at the pump than it does in other countries.

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Crude-oil costs are a bigger slice of the prices American consumers pay for petrol: lower sales taxes and fuel duties mean swings in oil markets have a bigger effect on pump prices.

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