Petrol shortages: how panic buying is crippling Britain
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Why is there a petrol shortage?
A lack of HGV drivers forced BP and Tesco to reduce deliveries of fuel and close a small number of petrol stations last week because they could not fully supply all sites.
This sparked fears of shortages among motorists and has led to long queues outside many petrol stations.
In reality, there is no shortage of fuel, but there are difficulties transporting it due to a lack of HGV drivers – a problem compounded by panic buying.
Edmund King, president of the AA, blamed panic buying rather than supply issues for shortages over the weekend.
Why are some petrol stations closing?
While there may not be a fuel shortage among suppliers, the difficulties transporting fuel and the rush of panic buying has left many pumps dry.
The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents almost 5,500 independent outlets, says panic buying is causing “really serious problems”, with around two-thirds of its members reporting that they have sold out of fuel and the rest of them “partly dry and running out soon”.
Which forecourts still have fuel?
The best way to know if a petrol station near you is still open is to check online, with local news and social media providing updates on the busiest locations.
However, that is contributing to the problem, says the Petrol Retailers Association chairman, Brian Madderson.
“Disappointingly the messages I’m getting this morning from our retailers are that panic buying does continue,” he told the BBC.
“One of the reasons for this is social media. As soon as the tanker arrives at a filling station people on social media are advising that a tanker has arrived and it is like bees to a honeypot. Everyone flocks there and within a few hours it is out again.”
Another tactic is to choose a petrol station that has introduced rationing. While you’ll only be allowed to buy a limited amount of fuel, there’s a lower risk of empty pumps.
EG Group, which owns almost 400 petrol stations, is enforcing a £30 limit to ensure they can “carry on running smoothly”.
Meanwhile The Telegraph understands fuel tankers are being diverted from business fleets to forecourts in a move to mitigate the shortage.
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