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Britain puts army on standby as panic buying leaves gasoline pumps dry

Fifty to 90 per cent of pumps dry in some areas due to lack of truckers to deliver abundant fuel supply

Michael Holden, Ben Makori, and James Davey, Reuters
Sep 28, 2021  •  September 28, 2021  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation
An aerial view shows customers queueing in their cars to access an Asda petrol station in east London on September 25, 2021.
An aerial view shows customers queueing in their cars to access an Asda petrol station in east London on September 25, 2021. Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas /Getty

British drivers expressed frustration on Tuesday as they hunted for hours or sat snarled in queues to fill their tanks after gas stations in major cities ran dry due to a trucker shortage that has prompted the government to put the army on standby.

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Queues of drivers snaked back from those petrol stations that were still serving in major cities, though dozens of forecourts were closed with signs saying they had no petrol or diesel, Reuters reporters said.

A post-Brexit shortage of lorry drivers, exacerbated by a halt to truck-driving-license testing during COVID-19 lockdowns, has sown chaos through supply chains, raising the specter of shortages and price rises in the run up to Christmas.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said a limited number of military tanker drivers had been put on a state of readiness to be deployed to deliver fuel if necessary.

Fights broke out at some English petrol stations as drivers jostled for fuel. Medics said health workers should be given priority to fill their cars to keep the health service working.

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An air of chaos has gripped the world’s fifth largest economy in recent weeks as the shortage of truckers strained supply chains and a spike in European wholesale natural gas prices tipped energy companies into bankruptcy.

Retailers, truckers, and logistics companies have warned that prices for everything from energy to Christmas gifts will have to rise.

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British ministers, fuel companies, and petrol stations say there are sufficient supplies of fuel but that the lack of truckers combined with panic buying has drained the system.

The demand for fuel has meant that 50 per cent to 90 per cent of pumps were dry in some areas of Britain, according to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents independent fuel retailers who account for 65 per cent of all the 8,380 U.K. forecourts.

The government on Sunday announced a plan to issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers. But some Polish hauliers said that offer was laughable and that few would be likely to take it up.

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