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The first “very timid signs of stabilization” are being seen at gas stations, the transport secretary said, after days of long queues and closed pumps at some gas stations across the country.
Grant Shapps said the sooner people return to their normal ways and stop panicking over buying gasoline and diesel, the sooner the fuel supply crisis will begin to ease.
He said queues are expected to continue in the coming days, but fuel levels on the forecourt are starting to rise.
“A lot of gasoline is now being transferred to people’s cars and there are now the first very timid signs of stabilization in the forecourt storage which will not be reflected in the queues yet, but this is the first time. that we are seeing more gasoline in the gas stations themselves, ”the minister said.
A woman fills water bottles with gasoline
“The sooner we can all get back to our normal buying habits, the sooner things will get back to normal.
“We all have to play our part and certainly don’t do things like bring bottled water to gas stations, it’s dangerous and extremely unnecessary.”
The Petrol Retailers Association said “there are early signs that the crisis is over at the pumps,” adding that more and more of its members are reporting they are taking fuel deliveries.
“Fuel stocks remain normal at refineries and terminals, although deliveries have been reduced due to the shortage of truck drivers,” said Gordon Balmer, executive director of PRA.
“We conducted a survey of our members this morning and only 37% of the squares reported running out of fuel today. With regular restocking, this percentage should improve further over the next 24 hours.”
Responding to criticism that government action – such as putting the military on hold to deliver fuel to where it is most needed – has been slow, the minister said “many different measures” have been put in place. in place since April to remedy the supply crisis. which was caused by a shortage of tanker drivers.
Denying that the government had ignored warnings for months of an impending driver shortage, Mr Shapps said: “We have already put in place 18 different stages, which I should say extend until spring.”
He said that due to the measures put in place, the system was set to cope until last weekend and would have continued to do so, had it not been for the “scramble” in panic buying.
The motorist fills up with gasoline
“Unfortunately, as we have seen with toilet rolls and other things, once people start looking for a particular item it can quickly escalate… there is almost nothing you can do at the end of the day. supply system to prevent it, ”he said.
“But there is only a limited amount of gasoline that you can transfer to tanks. It is starting to catch on.”
Mr Shapps said the main cause of the shortages was the cancellation of heavy truck driving tests last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which he said had delayed 30,000 drivers to take their tests.
However, he also recognized the role of Brexit in the crisis.
“I hear a lot about Brexit and that will undoubtedly have been a factor,” he said.
“On the other hand, it actually helped us change the rules so that we could test more drivers faster. So it worked both ways.”
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Army tanker drivers have been put on readiness in case they are needed to ease chaos in fuel supply chains.
Motorists still face long lines at gas stations, with fights reportedly breaking out in some forecourts as gas pumps dry up and sales limits are imposed.
As part of the government’s 10-point emergency plan to deal with fuel crises, fuel sales could be rationed and forecourt opening hours limited in an attempt to curb panic buying.
There have been calls for key workers, including health workers and teachers, to have priority access to gas pumps as desperate drivers are held up in mile-long queues at some stations. .
The British Medical Association has warned essential services could be affected and the NASUWT teachers’ union said there is a risk of further disruption to education – if staff are not able to get to the job.
Despite government calls for motorists to refuel normally, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said on Tuesday there were few signs this was happening – with social media pushing the dash towards the pumps.
“As soon as the tanker arrives at a gas station, social media reports that a tanker truck has arrived and it’s like bees in a honey pot,” its chairman Brian Madderson told the BBC Radio 4 Today broadcast.
“Everyone is flocking in there and within hours he’s out again.”
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Sources 2/ https://news.sky.com/story/first-signs-of-stabilisation-in-fuel-supply-crisis-says-shapps-urging-people-to-return-to-normal-buying-habits-12420343 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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