Army could deliver fuel as queues mount at petrol stations

Shortfall of lorry drivers affects "tens" of forecourts; industry urges drivers not to panic buy

Fuel giant BP has temporarily closed several UK fuel stations due to the national shortage of HGV drivers, which has prevented petrol and diesel from being restocked as normal.   

The shorfall in drivers has caused supply-chain delays, but the company says that it's working hard to resolve the issues.

Meanwhile, a build-up of queues at fuel stations around the UK has prompted government and industry leaders to urge motorists not to "panic buy", as there's no shortage of fuel itself.

Nonetheless, transport secretary Grant Shapps has suggested to ITV News that suitably qualified army personnel could be drafted in to drive fuel tankers on a short-term basis until a longer-term solution to the HGV driver shortage can be implemented.

He vowed to "move heaven and earth" to get fuel tankers moving around the country again and said the situation would be "smoothed out relatively quickly".

His words came as the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) warned drivers to keep a quarter-tank of fuel in their car in case refilling becomes impossible – a possibility that Shapps played down by saying that the issue hasn't "impacted on people's everyday lives". 

The president of the AA, Edmund King, concurred: "There's no shortage of fuel and thousands of forecourts are operating normally, with just a few suffering temporary supply-chain problems.

"Fridays and the weekend always tend to be busier on forecourts as drivers either combine filling up with shopping runs, prepare for weekend trips or refuel for the start of the new working week.

"Drivers should not fill up outside their normal routines because, even if the occasional petrol station is temporarily closed, others just down the road will be open."

Yesterday, a BP spokesperson said: "We're experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the UK and unfortunately have therefore seen a handful of sites temporarily close due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades.

"These have been caused by delays in the supply chain, which has been impacted by industry-wide driver shortages across the UK, and we're working hard to address this issue.

"We continue to work with our haulier supplier to minimise disruption and to ensure efficient and effective deliveries to serve our customers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Reports suggest “tens” of BP-owned forecourts are currently experiencing shortages.

BP’s head of UK retail, Hanna Hofer, said it's vital that the government understands the "urgency of the situation”, which has been said to be "bad, very bad”, ITV News reported. 

BP was also reported to have “two-thirds of normal forecourt stock levels required for smooth operations” - a level that's “declining rapidly”. 

Motorway service stations will be prioritised to maintain a normal level of fuel, but many forecourts won't be restocked for one-and-a-half days per week. 

Paul Scully, government minister for small business, said: “We're concerned about BP and other sectors where we're hearing those stresses coming to bear. 

"This is why we're having regular conversations: to see what the government can do to increase testing, to increase the supply of drivers and bring drivers back. We also want to see what the industry/sector can do for themselves.”

Esso, which jointly operates 200 Tesco forecourts around the UK, has also been impacted by the driver shortages. 

It said: “The majority of the 1200 Esso-branded sites in the UK are owned and operated by a number of independent retail companies. These companies are responsible for arranging supplies of Esso fuel to their sites.

"A small number of our 200 Tesco Alliance retail sites are impacted. We're working closely with all parties in our distribution network to optimise supplies and minimise any inconvenience to customers."

*READ MORE*

*BP Pulse charging network to double in size by 2030*

*From the boardroom: BP's head of future mobility on biofuels and EV adoption*

*BP Chargemaster nets £21m Police Scotland EV charging deal*