Fuel has run out at 26% of gas stations in the UK, said Gordon Ballmer, executive director of the Petrol Retail Association (PRA), Reuters reports.
Ballmer added that another 27% of filling stations in the country have only one type of fuel, and only 47% of filling stations have enough gasoline and diesel fuel. “Independent companies (gas stations. – Ed.), Which make up 65% of the entire network, do not get enough fuel,” said the executive director of PRA. The association represents nearly 5,500 of the UK’s 8,300 filling stations.
According to the BBC, the demand for fuel, which triggered the shortage, remains high. “Demand growth seems to continue. The pressure from drivers to refuel when they can, wherever they can, has not diminished, ”PRA chairman Brian Madderson explained to the publication. Employees at a number of gas stations have confirmed that the fuel is supplied regularly, but is instantly sold out.
It is noted that in order to speed up the supply of fuel from the refinery to the filling stations, the British government is preparing to involve the Ministry of Defense – more than 150 tankers are already ready for the operation. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also says it uses part of the reserve fleet of 80 tankers that the British government has in case of emergencies to transport fuel.
According to the local trade union Road Haulage Association (RHA), the UK is now short of about 100,000 truck drivers, including fuel tankers, due to the country’s exit from the European Union in February 2020. On September 23, British Petroleum closed several dozen gas stations in Great Britain due to a shortage of fuel truck drivers, after which the inhabitants of the country began to massively buy fuel. In addition, a number of firms have stopped delivering a number of goods after Brexit, including fuel from the EU.
The UK government believes that the fuel shortage has arisen artificially against the backdrop of a spontaneous consumer panic, which, among other things, is being purchased for future use. At the same time, four days ago, London announced plans to issue 5,000 visas for foreign workers who would work as fuel truck drivers.
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