With tens of thousands of truck drivers missing, UK petrol stations are running out of fuel. There are panic buying and long lines. An association is now giving numbers.
The emergency at British petrol stations is taking on alarming trains. According to the Petrol Retailers Association, which represents around 5,500 independent petrol stations, two-thirds of the members are out of fuel. The demand is up to 500 percent higher, said association boss Brian Madderson the broadcaster BBC Radio 4. Madderson said 50 to 90 percent of the gas stations are empty, the others threatened to dry up soon.
There are currently bottlenecks with petrol and diesel at numerous petrol stations in Great Britain, for days there have been panic buying and long queues. The background to this is a huge shortage of truck drivers, which had previously led to empty supermarket shelves. Because of the corona pandemic, a number of driving lessons and tests have been postponed. In addition, around 20,000 skilled workers, mainly from Eastern Europe, emigrated because of the Brexit – but new, strict immigration rules are now preventing immigration.
Government gives in to secure supplies
To combat the problems, the government plans to issue work visas for up to 5,000 foreign truck drivers, among other things. Association chief Madderson criticized that the government project falls short. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had long resisted visa exemptions because one of Brexit’s goals was to end free movement.
With a package of measures, the government now also wants to enable tens of thousands of additional driving tests per year. In addition, working conditions are to be improved. As the newspaper “The Times” reported, soldiers are to step in as truck drivers at short notice. However, it could take a week before they are ready for use.
Economics Minister Kwasi Kwarteng suspended competition rules on Sunday evening so that the industry can jointly take action against the bottlenecks. “There are long-term contingency plans in place to work with industry to keep fuel supplies going and deliveries to be made in the event of a serious disruption,” said Kwarteng. He stressed that there was enough fuel but admitted problems with the supply chains.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
