Residents and business owners at a north Norfolk town have sent a rallying cry for the size of a fuel tank at their local filling station to be increased.

Thurlow Nunn garage and BP filling station on Cromer Road, Holt, has come under fire from people living and working in the area.

They claim it runs out of diesel on a weekly basis, causing the closure of the forecourt for hours during busy times for re-stocking.

Double glazing company boss Martin Bishop, 52, of Baconsthorpe, said some days it was 'impossible to run a business' due to increased journey times and cost travelling to other filling stations.

'Being self-employed means working long hours already so asking for a local filling station that's reliable isn't unreasonable.

'All the people of Holt want is a filling station they can rely on,' he said.

Mother-of-two Alex Kidd-Edwards, 27, of Holt, said: 'It's always running out of diesel. It's a bit of a nightmare then having to go to Sheringham or even Bale as you never know how long they will be out for – sometimes it's days.'

But general manger Peter Knights, said increasing the tank would be at the cost of 'tens of thousands of pounds'.

And he added that the situation 'is not as bad as people are making out'.

Mr Knights also said the discontinuation of fuel sales at Edgefield Garage on Norwich Road and the impending closure of the BP station in Cromer, had increased diesel sales.

The cost of replacing a tank with a larger one was about �30,000 and they were currently looking, along with BP, at measures to increase the diesel volume.

The small forecourt was closed during re-stocking for health and safety reasons .

Local car mechanic and firefighter Kevin Farrow said there was a reserve tank for emergency services.