European leaders have again defiantly rejected demands for cuts in fuel prices amid a wave of protests causing serious petrol shortages and widespread chaos in a number of countries.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, joined by leaders in Belgium and Germany, warned that lives would be put at risk if fuel supplies to key services were not restored following the disruption caused by blockades of oil refineries. Schools, businesses and transport have all been affected by the protests in the United Kingdom, with the National Blood Authority on alert, saying it feared its blood supplies could soon be affected. The British government also put military fuel tankers on standby in case they are needed to get deliveries through. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was targeted by protesters when he visited the northern city of Schwerin. The city centre was blockaded with trucks and tractors as the chancellor arrived by helicopter. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt also refused demands on Wednesday for a fuel-tax rebate for the haulage industry, even as protests expanded in Belgium to major freeways and border points. In the UK, Blair has been granted emergency powers to cope with the crisis, but has made it plain he expects the oil companies to take steps of their own to restore fuel supplies. The prime minister met Malcolm Brinder, chief executive of Shell, and John Manzoni, head of British Petroleum, for talks on Wednesday. The meeting took place as hauliers tried to bring London to a standstill, but were prevented by police from taking their protest to the Houses of Parliament. Nine thousand of the country's 13,000 petrol stations said they were out of fuel following nationwide blockades of oil depots, with all petrol stations in Wales reported to be closed due to lack of supplies.