Ref. 30749-30Just what do rising petrol prices mean for businesses in Swindon? And could going green be a way to avoid ramifications from any fuel crises? TOM MORTON investigates

PETROL is everything in this country.

Each day business both big and small is reliant on employees getting to work, on staff being able to move around during the working day, and on goods being shipped in and sent out.

The petrol crisis of October 2000 crippled the country and sent a warning shot across the bows of business nationwide.

Then this month's rise in oil prices sparked a morning's worth of panic buying at some Swindon petrol stations, but also brought home how important the black stuff is to our local economy.

Without petrol, the flow of the economy is reduced to a trickle but is there much we can do about it?

Well, there might be. While we can't transport goods at the click of a finger, many of us can now work from home, thanks to the rapid advances in broadband internet technology.