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BP petrol station in Great Britain: "We have problems with the fuel supply at some of our locations"
Photo: Nick Ansell / dpa / PA Wire
Numerous shelves in supermarkets remain empty, the industry association is warning of a serious supply bottleneck - and now motorists in Great Britain are also feeling the enormous shortage of truck drivers: the energy company BP is now having to close some petrol stations in the country.
"We have problems with the fuel supply at some of our locations and can therefore unfortunately temporarily not operate a handful of locations due to a lack of both unleaded gasoline and diesel," a BP spokesman told the ITV broadcaster.
According to this, there is indeed sufficient fuel overall - but the group has problems getting it to the filling stations.
Most locations would then receive no delivery for around one and a half days per week, and motorway rest areas should receive priority.
The government expressed concern.
According to the Road Haulage Association, there is a shortage of at least one hundred thousand truck drivers in the UK. The reasons are the consequences of the corona pandemic, a lack of offspring and tough immigration rules after Brexit - tens of thousands of truckers from Eastern European countries used to be on the British roads. As a result, supermarket shelves have remained empty for weeks. Other industries are also suffering from a severe shortage of skilled workers.
As ITV reported, BP informed the government about the problems days ago.
The situation was "bad, very bad," said the responsible BP manager Hanna Hofer at a meeting with government officials.
Hofer stated that the group only had two thirds of the normal tank inventory "that is necessary for smooth operation" - and that this figure is declining "very quickly".
Therefore, the company is preparing to cut deliveries "very soon".
fdi / dpa