At least half of UK petrol stations outside the motorway network have run out of fuel after Britons engaged in panic buying in response to disruption to fuel supplies caused by a lack of tanker drivers. Brian Madderson, chair of the Petrol Retailers Association, a trade body, said a survey of members on Sunday indicated 50 to 85 percent of all independent service stations had now run dry, excluding motorway forecourts and some supermarket sites that have been prioritized by oil companies.
The government announced on Sunday evening that it would temporarily exempt the energy industry — including producers, suppliers, haulers and retailers — from the 1998 competition act, allowing companies to share information and prioritize deliveries to areas of greatest need.
Madderson said what had been a “manageable issue” of localized shortages at a
the small number of retail sites last week had quickly spiraled after media reports of supply problems had set off panic buying by motorists, with some members stating demand had surged “500 percent above the normal level” on Saturday, quickly draining forecourt fuel tanks.
The UK has about 8,000 petrol stations, and the majority are run by independent retailers, some of whom operate franchises using the big oil companies’ brands.
Madderson told the Financial Times that while the short-term issue was “panic buying”, the root cause was “a government that’s been dragging its feet over the issue of the number of haulage drivers on the ground”.
Ministers bowed to business pressure on Saturday and announced they would issue temporary visas to 5,000 foreign heavy goods vehicle drivers to help tackle major labour shortages in the logistics industry.