Up to 90% fuel pumps dry up in panic in major British cities – Times of India

An out-of-use sign is attached to a pump at a fuel station in east London. The UK government has urged people against panic buying as some petrol stations have closed pumps due to a lack of lorry drivers to deliver fuel. (File photo: AP)

LONDON: Up to 90% of British fuel stations dried up in major English cities on Monday, after panic deepening a supply chain crisis triggered by a shortage of truckers that retailers are warning could damage the world’s fifth-largest economy. Is.
A severe shortage of truckers in the post-Brexit UK has caused chaos through supply chains in everything from food to fuel, raising the risk of disruptions and pushing up prices until Christmas.
Just days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government spent millions of pounds to prevent food shortages caused by rising prices of natural gas and its byproduct, carbon dioxide, ministers repeatedly called on people to avoid panic. said.
But dozens of cars queued back from petrol stations across the country on Sunday, swallowing up supplies and forcing many gas stations to close. Reuters correspondents said pumps in British cities were either closed or there were signs that fuel was unavailable.
Brian Maderson, president of the Petrol Retailers Association, told Sky: “Some of our members, large groups with a portfolio of sites, report 50% dry as of yesterday, some report as dry as 90%.”
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) represents independent fuel retailers, who now account for 65% of all UK forecourts.
“So you can see it’s quite intense,” Maderson said. “Monday morning is going to start very dry.”
BP said on Sunday that nearly a third of its British petrol stations had run out of the two main grades of fuel as panic buying allowed the government to suspend competition laws and allow firms to work together to ease shortages. Was.
Business Secretary Quasi Quarteng said the suspension would allow firms to share information and coordinate their response.
“The move will allow the government to work constructively with fuel producers, suppliers, consignees and retailers to ensure that disruption is minimized,” the trade department said in a statement.
The government on Sunday announced plans to issue temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers.
But business leaders have warned that the government’s plan is a short-term fix and will not solve the acute labor shortage.