Consumers fearing petrol shortages as a result of a truck owners' strike starting at midnight queued up to fill their cars with petrol on Sunday afternoon, while some petrol stations had already run dry.

The queues continued on Monday, with even longer lines, as the truckers began an indefinite strike in protest against a draft bill to open up the road freight market, including that of fuel, that is currently served only by licenced vehicles.

It is expected to cause serious shortages of goods on the market, while the first problems were apparent on Sunday as huge lines formed outside petrol stations, with motorists trying to stock up on petrol before they depart for their summer holidays.

Coming at the peak of the tourist season, the strike is a heavy blow to struggling tourist enterprises, which have so far seen their turnover reduced compared to last year's levels and had pinned their hopes on the July-August period to raise their sales.

The strike may even affect ferry lines, since truck owners have said they will not make an exception for ships.

Apart from fuel, shortages in basic consumer goods may also start to appear in the coming week.

Infrastructure, Networks and Transport Minister Dimitris Reppas is due to hold a press conference on Monday morning to answer questions on both the truck owners' strike and a "work-to-rule" protest by air traffic controllers that is expected to cause flight delays. Both groups are protesting against draft bills recently unveiled by his ministry.

The owners of state-licensed road freight vehicles moved planned strike action originally scheduled to start on August 27 forward to midnight Sunday, after the government announced planned legislation to open up the currently closed road freight market.