The UK on Monday (September 27th) called on its military to stand ready to come to the aid of the country's ongoing fuel crisis, after a weekend where worried Britons flocked to petrol stations, leaving many of them dry.
"A limited number of military tanker drivers must be ready to intervene and deployed if necessary to stabilize the fuel supply,"
the energy ministry said in a statement the evening.
Read alsoShortages are worsening in the United Kingdom under the effect of Brexit
Gasoline shortages in the UK worsened further on Monday, still under the influence of
"panic buying"
from worried motorists.
"I must have done five different service stations"
and
"my tank is almost dry,"
says Lisa Wood, a motorist who waited for more than an hour at a service station near the famous London Bridge, in the heart of the city. from London. And to say to a driver wanting to pass in front of everyone: "
Go back to the end of the line, you've been there for barely five minutes!"
. Between honking and cursing, Lisa concedes that
"it's not very British"
to get upset, but
"when there is a crisis, you are no longer very
" British ".
At another service station, east of London, a line of 50 cars stretched out as early as 6.30 a.m. Monday morning, with customers having spent part of the night waiting.
Across the country, signs
"no more gasoline"
or
"out of service"
are multiplying near gas pumps, including about 30% of the giant BP stations affected by fuel shortages.
Some British media have published videos of edgy drivers clashing near pumps for fear of breaking down or not being able to go to work.
"Too little, too late"
If medical organizations are sounding the alarm on the difficulties of caregivers to travel to see their patients, some schools are considering switching back to distance education if the problem persists. According to the PRA, one of the associations of fuel distributors, up to two-thirds of its members (5,500 independent sites out of a total of 8,000 stations in the country), were out of fuel on Sunday,
"the others almost at dry ”
. But the association says it expects
"a possible relaxation of demand and a normalization of stocks in the days to come"
. Monday, representatives of the sector again wanted to reassure by saying that there is
"full of fuel in British refineries"
.
Read alsoLack of fresh produce, transport slowed down ... The British are starting to pay for Brexit
The situation is reminiscent of gasoline rationing during the energy crisis of the 1970s, or a blockage of refineries that paralyzed the country's activity for weeks in the early 2000s. The crisis started in the middle of last week after a confidential report from BP to the government has leaked, describing a few dozen gas stations that were closing for lack of fuel, as a representative of the PRA lamented.
Panic purchases immediately took off across the country and a majority of gas stations are now affected.
Shortages of gasoline or diesel are initially due to the lack of truck drivers to transport it from the storage terminals to the pumps.
The problem also affects the shelves of supermarkets, fast food restaurants, pubs, bicycle vendors, among others, which deplore delays in deliveries and depleted stocks of certain products.
The shortage of truck drivers has been going on for several months due to the combined pandemic and Brexit, with Labor accusing Boris Johnson's Tory government of 'falling
asleep at the wheel'
and not intervening before.
Read alsoBrexit and Covid are melting the workforce in the United Kingdom
The lockdowns prompted some European drivers to return to their country, and tens of thousands of others were unable to pass their heavy goods vehicle licenses because of the examination centers closed for months. Brexit also complicates migration procedures where European workers previously circulated freely. The government, however, denies the impact of Brexit in the current crisis, saying European countries too are facing driver shortages, but the UK's road transport federation makes it one of the main causes of the problem, according to a report published last month.
In search of solutions, London resolved on Saturday to amend its post-Brexit immigration policy and grant up to 10,500 three-month work visas to make up for the lack of truck drivers but also of staff in key sectors economy such as poultry farms.
The British Poultry Council welcomes these measures but hopes that it will not be
"too little too late"
.
BP for its part warns that it will take
time for the sector to strengthen deliveries and replenish stocks
.
