Faced with fuel shortage in UK, government calls on military to stand ready

A Covid-19 pandemic, a Brexit… The mixture was undoubtedly formidable, the United Kingdom is starting to pay a heavy price.

The government on Monday asked its army to stand ready to intervene in the ongoing fuel crisis in the country, after a weekend when worried Britons rushed to gas stations.

"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 on Monday evening.

"When there is a crisis, we are no longer very British"

Gasoline shortages worsened further on Monday, still under the effect of "panic buying" from worried motorists in the country.

“I must have done five different gas stations” and “my tank is almost dry,” says Lisa Wood, a motorist who waited for more than an hour at a gas 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 swearing, Lisa concedes that "it's not very British" to get upset, but "when there is a crisis, you are not very

British

 ".

A fight breaks out in a gas station in North London after a man allegedly cut in line to buy fuel.

A fuel shortage caused by the supply chain crisis deepened with panic buying created tension among the public as long lines emerged at gas stations across the UK pic.twitter.com/6EE6R6gBga

- TRT World (@trtworld) September 27, 2021

At another service station, east of London, a line of 50 cars stretched as early as 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, with customers having spent part of the night waiting.

Some British media have published videos of rascal drivers coming to blows.

Across the country, “no more gas” or “out of service” signs are multiplying.

The reassuring professionals of the sector

The health crisis will at least have had the effect of not plunging the inhabitants into the unknown: if medical organizations are sounding the alarm on the difficulties of caregivers to travel to see their patients, some schools are planning to return to teaching in distance if the problem persists.

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The PRA, one of the associations of fuel distributors, says it expects "a possible slackening 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".

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 closing for lack of fuel.

An impact on the entire consumption chain

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 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.

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.

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The shortage of truck drivers has been going on for several months because of the pandemic and Brexit combined, with Labor accusing Boris Johnson's Tory government of 'falling asleep at the wheel' and not intervening before.

Brexit also complicates migration procedures where European workers previously circulated freely.

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 sectors keys to the economy such as poultry farming.

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.