UK Gas Stations Run Dry as Trucker Shortage Sparks Hoarding
Thousands of British gas stations ran dry Sunday, an industry group said, as motorists scrambled to refill amid a supply disruption thanks to a shortage of truck drivers.
The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents almost 5,500 independent outlets, said about two-thirds of its members were reporting that that they had sold out their fuel, with the remainder “partly dry and running out soon.”
There is many fuel during this country, but it’s within the wrong place for the motorists,” he told the BBC. “It remains within the terminals and therefore the refineries.”
Long lines of vehicles formed at many gas stations over the weekend, and tempers frayed as some drivers waited for hours. Police were called to at least one London gasoline station Sunday after a scuffle broke out. Police said a person was arrested on suspicion of assault.
The haulage industry says the U.K. is brief tens of thousands of truckers, thanks to an ideal storm of things including the coronavirus pandemic, an aging workforce and an exodus of foreign workers following Britain’s Brexit departure from the ecu Union last year.
Several countries, including the us and Germany, are also experiencing a shortage of truck drivers. the matter has been especially visible in Britain, where it’s contributed to empty supermarket shelves and shuttered gas pumps.
After weeks of mounting pressure, the U.K.’s Conservative government announced Saturday that it’ll issue thousands of emergency visas to foreign truck drivers to assist prevent a Christmas without turkey or toys for several British families. the govt said it might issue 5,000 three-month visas for truck drivers starting in October, and another 5,500 for poultry workers.
Industry groups welcomed the new visa plan, although British Retail Consortium said it had been “too little, too late.”
Ruby McGregor-Smith, president of the Confederation of British Industry, said the announcement was “the equivalent of throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire.”
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