Panic shopping began at UK service stations a few days ago, with at least two-thirds of them running out of fuel by Sunday night. For this reason, the British government is preparing to suspend competition law temporarily so that oil companies can negotiate the most important parts of the country and can provide fuel to gas stations in a targeted manner. It is not excluded that the government will also deploy the army for transport.
The British Association of Fuel Retailers said two-thirds of the 5,500 independent units had already run out of fuel and the remaining 50-90 per cent. They also warned that the operation would spark more excitement if drivers continued to panic. Minister of State for Energy Kwasi Kwarting said the government has a contingency plan in place to maintain fuel supplies. “Although there are large quantities of fuel in the refineries and stations and they are still there, we are aware that there are some problems in the supply chains,” he said.
A BP gas station in southern England has been forced to close temporarily.
Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP
The critical situation unfolded last week, as miles of lines stretched to gas stations. The reason for the problem is that there are not enough truck and truck drivers (this has caused disruption in other industries in recent months). In the news that there were fuel delivery problems, a panic attack erupted at the gas stations. Shell, ExxonMobil and Greenergy said in a joint statement that the supply problem was caused by a sudden increase in demand and not by a shortage of fuel at the national level.
The government announced Saturday that it will offer temporary visas valid until Christmas Eve to 5,000 truck drivers transporting foreign fuel and food, as well as 5,500 workers to poultry processing plants to prevent disruptions before Christmas. They are also trying to attract one million drivers who have the necessary licenses for heavy trucks. However, according to the British Retail Consortium, the number of visas offered is too small to affect the expected disruption at Christmas. (BBCAnd daily Mail)
