A Guangzhou Liquefied Natural Petroleum Company worker delivering canisters of gas to customers in Shijing Town in May was stopped by a motorcyclist who said the worker had entered his "turf".

In June, another gas delivery man was assaulted and robbed of his canisters.

And three other delivery workers were attacked by more than 10 men while installing a canister at a flat in September.

The company reported 42 threats and attacks against its delivery men in 2001. Workers were advised to stay away from certain areas, halving the number of cases to 28 for 2002. But the situation has deteriorated this year, the company said.

Nanfang Metropolis News polled 30 liquefied natural petroleum (LNP) outlets, 23 of which described the gas delivery market as "very disorderly".

Gas canister delivery services, which require minimal investment, enjoy a 12 per cent profit margin. But some vendors have resorted to violence to secure a "monopoly" in certain residential areas.

The municipal government held a inter-department meeting after the newspaper published its first investigative report on the subject on September 29.

And the gas company announced three new measures in response to the problem on Wednesday, including a warning to LNP stations to re-fill only officially registered gas canisters.

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