Cement supplies could run dry by early next week, an industry chief warned last night.

Bermuda Cement Company president Jim Butterfield predicted a "week of agony" loomed with silos at Royal Naval Dockyard so depleted workers now had to get inside and shovel cement out.

Some drivers at the depot were asleep at the wheels of their tankers yesterday, as automatic fill-ups that usually take just 15 minutes lasted several painstaking hours.

Mr. Butterfield warned it would be "touch and go" whether the remaining cement would last until next Monday or Tuesday.

Fresh supplies are due to arrive from South America next Wednesday.

But the president said that shipment of 6,500 tons would have been on the Island much sooner ? preventing a "week of agony" ? had talks not dragged on over a new lease. News silo supplies are running perilously low comes after lengthy negotiations between a Government quango and the Bermuda Cement Company triggered uncertainty about who would be running the cement operation in the new year. The West End Development Company (Wedco) has now extended the lease for the Bermuda Cement Company to continue to operate from Dockyard until next December.

But the cement firm had been preparing to shut down its 40-year operation, after claiming in September it could not accept new demands from Government landlord.

Moves were announced to bring in international cement giant Cemex to run the Island's depot from 2006 for an interim period, before further talks between Wedco and the Bermuda Cement Company extended the current arrangements for another year on December 1.

Mr. Butterfield told As soon as the new agreement was signed, we ordered the ship. We were not going to do that beforehand.

"This ship would have been here in November if a deal had been struck earlier. That's why we kept saying we needed discussions fast."

On the dwindling cement stocks ? it is estimated as little as 500 tons remains in the two twin cement silos ? he added: "It will get very close.

"Next Monday and Tuesday could be very tough, we could be looking at empty silos. It's that close. It's touch and go."

Mr. Butterfield, who apologised to businesses waiting for supplies, said it was hard to estimate exactly how much cement was left. "If we have a couple of days of rain, things will slow down," he continued. "Without the rain we will be right at he bottom of the box.

"We are trying to get to next Wednesday, but it will be painfully slow."

Allocations were getting limited and orders were currently being prioritised, he said, with bulk trucks served first today followed by customers requiring bags

Some construction firms have told that they have stockpiled cement in case there was a need to ration out supplies before the next shipment arrives from Venezuela.

"It's going to be a bit patchy because the Bermuda Cement Company held out from bringing in their next shipment. I've heard that some people have been stockpiling cement, but it has a short shelf life and the big concrete producers can't stockpile it," said Alex DeCouto, interim president of the Construction Association of Bermuda.

Mr. DeCouto, backing the lease extension, said: "This is a more helpful position than where we were last month. It is a good thing in the short term but the industry, and I'm sure the Bermuda Cement Company, would like to have a long term solution in place.

"I'm glad, and our membership is glad, that some agreement has been reached. The industry has been happy with the Bermuda Cement Company for the past 40 years.

"I'd like to see something permanent agreed in the new year."

Construction boss Tomas Smith, president of Greymane Contracting, said: "Any threat to the supply of cement creates uncertainty that is not good for the industry."

He said news that Bermuda Cement Company's lease has been extended by one year would bring some continuity and regularity to the Island's cement supply.

"Consistency of supply is an absolute requirement if contract schedules are to be met. We have not seen a slowdown in our jobs due to the lack of certainty, but I understand because of the threat of no new cement coming to the Island some people were starting to stockpile what they could," added Mr. Smith.