11.54am EDT
11:54
UK fuel suppliers expect demand to return to normal soon.
10.44am EDT
10:44
Haulage group says Grant Shapps is ‘ridiculous’ to blame it for petrol panic
10.28am EDT
10:28
RAC: beware of petrol stations hiking prices
9.16am EDT
09:16
PA: Petrol station worker reports unprecedented demand
9.03am EDT
09:03
Health workers should be given priority access to fuel in UK, says senior doctor
8.52am EDT
08:52
Germany’s Olaf Scholz: UK supply chain problems due to Brexit
8.10am EDT
08:10
AA: dramatic rise in misfuelling
12.23pm EDT
12:23
Our political correspondent Aubrey Allegretti has the latest on the UK government’s plans:
(@breeallegretti)
After senior ministers met today to discuss activating Operation Escalin, agreement was they will ask Army to prepare for getting hundreds of soldiers driving fuel tankers – in the event govt decides they’re needed.
12.12pm EDT
12:12
Demand hasn’t returned to normal yet, though, with many reports of delays and congestion this afternoon caused by petrol station queues:
(@BBCTravelAlert)
#A23 long delays through #Fiveways Corner in #Croydon with the queues towards petrol stations between the #Lombard Roundabout and #Purley Way playing fields pic.twitter.com/pg0HgD0kDj
(@BBCTravelAlert)
There have been delays all day heading east out of London on the #A13 towards the petrol station after Gascoigne Way – queues from the #Canning Town Flyover and on the #A406 from before the #Barking Flyover pic.twitter.com/47M2uZBQkF
(@JambusterLondon)
A2 New Cross Road (SE14) (All Directions) at the junction of Jerningham Road – There is heavy congestion due to people trying to get to petrol stations. Expect delays #LondonTraffic https://t.co/R9l5uN4Cie pic.twitter.com/p66ZNu5Kku
(@unobus)
?635 information?
Due to the traffic delays caused by cars queueing at petrol stations, with immediate effect this service will terminate and commence from Watford Junction Railway Station. We apologise for any inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/wdnFsF13mT
(@M_PaulMcNamara)
Looks like they had a delivery. Screwed up the traffic in three directions pic.twitter.com/C8Pppv2U2M
11.54am EDT
11:54
UK fuel suppliers expect demand to return to normal soon.
UK fuel suppliers say they expect demand to return ‘in the coming days’, after the spate of panic buying left many stations low on petrol and diesel, or dry.
In a joint statement, the group of leading fuel companies, including Shell, BP and Esso, say that the pressures on forecourts should ease, now that more cars than usual have been filled up.
They encourage people to buy fuel “as they usually would”, echoing the message from George Eustice this morning.
The group say:
There is plenty of fuel at UK refineries and terminals, and as an industry we are working closely with the government to help ensure fuel is available to be delivered to stations across the country.
“As many cars are now holding more fuel than usual, we expect that demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, easing pressures on fuel station forecourts.
We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would. “We remain enormously grateful to all forecourt staff and HGV drivers for working tirelessly to maintain supplies during this time.
(@beisgovuk)
? NEW: Fuel industry joint statement ?
“There is plenty of fuel at UK refineries and terminals, and as an industry we are working closely with the government to help ensure fuel is available to be delivered to stations across the country.
(@LBC)
Large fuel providers reiterate that ‘there is plenty of fuel at UK refineries and terminals’ and ‘encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would’, in a joint statement read by @eddiemair pic.twitter.com/YBFGMZ3fgL
11.50am EDT
11:50
Stockpiling fuel is dangerous, and not public-spirited, but there are signs that some people may have been heeding these warnings.
Halfords recorded a 17-fold rise in the number of jerry cans sold over the weekend compared with the same period a week earlier.
The containers, used by motorists to stockpile fuel, was the fourth most common search term on the retailer’s website.
(@silvesterldn)
Halfords reveal the sale of jerry cans went up 1,656 per cent this weekend.
Jerry cans aren’t normally a top-selling item, though, so treat that percentage change cautiously…
(@tddirtbagbaby)
I would envisage ‘Jerry Cans’ are not normally Halfords best selling item – I doubt they need to shift many to have that sort of percentage increase.
That’s why people use percentage increases when describing small numbers – just makes it look more dramatic.
11.14am EDT
11:14
Calls are growing for the government to prioritise fuel for key workers, after panic-buying left some essential workers struggling to obtain fuel:
(@PaulBrandITV)
NEW: Nursing union @theRCN the latest to call for key workers to be prioritised for fuel.
“We already know some nursing staff are warning their employers they may not be able to attend tomorrow…health and care workers need to be a priority or patient care will be compromised.”
(@PaulBrandITV)
NEW: @unisontheunion, which represents 1.3 million public sector workers, is calling on the government to use emergency powers to designate fuel stations “for the sole use of key workers” as many run dry of petrol.
10.44am EDT
10:44
Haulage group says Grant Shapps is ‘ridiculous’ to blame it for petrol panic
Gwyn Topham
The petrol crisis that has resulted in long queues of motorists at forecourts has been primarily blamed on panic-buying, but the government has also taken the opportunity to point the finger at an organisation that has long been a thorn in its side: the Road Haulage Association.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said the panic was sparked after comments made by BP about dwindling stock levels at a Cabinet Office meeting were leaked by “one of the road haulage associations”.
And in case there was any ambiguity, sources briefed the Mail on Sunday that the RHA was “entirely responsible for this panic and chaos”.
The RHA says the allegation is false.
Rod McKenzie, the RHA’s policy and public affairs director, who was branded a “moaning remainer” by the unnamed source, did not attend the meeting and said he was only made aware of BP’s warning on its forecourt fuel stocks by media inquiries after the comments were reported on television.
McKenzie told the Guardian:
“It was already in the public domain. I said every time I was asked there is not a shortage of fuel. It’s just ridiculous, accusing me of causing people to panic-buy. It’s not fair.”
10.42am EDT
10:42
Rob Davies
Elsewhere in the energy crisis, Shell Energy will take on 255,000 customers from Green, one of seven small energy suppliers that have collapsed in a wave of failures that have forced the energy regulator Ofgem to find new providers for 2 million customers.
Ofgem said former and current customers of Green would have any outstanding credit on their balance honoured under the agreement, with no interruption to supply predicted when Shell takes over on Monday.
Green was the sixth of seven energy suppliers to collapse since the beginning of August, after its chief executive, Peter McGirr, warned in the Guardian that the global rise in gas prices was going to result in a “tsunami” of failures.
In total, nine suppliers catering to nearly 2 million households between them have failed in 2021.
More here:
10.28am EDT
10:28
RAC: beware of petrol stations hiking prices
Motoring body the RAC says a ‘small number of retailers’ have hiked petrol prices during the surge in demand.
It also reports an increase in call outs from drivers who ran out of fuel over the weekend, as shortages and long queues at the pumps led to more motorists getting stranded.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said the average price of unleaded rose by a penny per litre over the weekend, to 136.59p on Sunday.
That’s the highest since September 2013, with prices having already climbed to eight-year highs this summer (more details here).
And with Brent crude up 2% today and heading towards $80/barrel for the first time in three years, motorists could see higher prices on the forecourt soon.
Williams says:
When it comes to pump prices, it’s a pretty bleak picture for drivers. With the cost of oil rising and now near a three-year high, wholesale prices are being forced up which means retailers are paying more than they were just a few days ago for the same amount of fuel.
This has led to the price of a litre of unleaded already going up by a penny since Friday. We might yet see higher forecourt prices in the coming days, irrespective of the current supply problems.
We are also aware of a small number of retailers taking advantage of the current delivery situation by hiking prices, so we’d remind drivers to always compare the price they’re being asked to pay with the current UK averages which are 136.59p for petrol and 138.48p for diesel.”
(@ITVJoel)
RAC says it’s “aware of a small number of retailers taking advantage of the currently delivery situation by hiking prices”.
It advises drivers to remember that the current UK average price for petrol is 136.59p/litre and 138.48p/litre for diesel.
The RAC also urges people not to stockpile fuel, as it makes the situation worse (as well as being dangerous).
Stock piling in containers only makes the situation worse for those who desperately need fuel as well as potentially causing unnecessary fire risks if not stored correctly. It’s also vitally important the emergency services and businesses that help to keep the UK moving can get access to fuel.
We have also seen an increase in our patrols attending drivers who have run out of fuel over the weekend.
Updated
at 10.51am EDT
10.15am EDT
10:15
The petrol shortages may have encouraged some drivers to consider a shift to electric cars.
Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, says they saw a sharp pick-up in interest over the weekend:
“We are all familiar with the idea of range anxiety, but the events of the past few days mean we are entering the age of fuel anxiety. We have seen a massive surge in consumer engagement for electric cars on our marketplace over the weekend.
Not only did the number of advert views for new and used electric models increase a record 28% and 61% respectively versus the previous weekend, but we also saw a huge uplift in the number of people sending enquiries to retailers, with one sent every two minutes. This suggests that people aren’t simply flirting with the idea of electric but have been encouraged to actively pursue a purchase.
9.16am EDT
09:16
PA: Petrol station worker reports unprecedented demand
A petrol station worker says the demand for fuel has been “unprecedented” at his small local garage and that shop sales have “tanked” following a weekend of panic-buying.
Yasser Ahmed, 37, who runs West Drayton service station with his father, said he had “not had time to breathe” as people clamoured to fill up their tanks.
“It’s unprecedented,” he told the PA news agency.
“We had a delivery Friday morning.
Driving in that’s when it started hitting me there was a lot of talk on the radio (about) panic-buying.
“When I got into work it was considerably busy but not too bad. By the afternoon, when my dad left, I was non-stop, didn’t have time to breathe.
“If there was a spillage outside, it’s a single-man operation, I was having to hold everyone, clear the spillage then rush back in. I couldn’t even sit down.”
Ahmed said his four-pump station had gone through 30,000 litres of fuel – the amount it would usually sell in a whole week – in just two days.
“That’s completely not normal,” he said.
“Yesterday we didn’t open up, we lost a whole day yesterday, today dad is in, only because we have a lot of regular customers from the local community who are going to work and want to grab their coffee first in the morning.
“That’s the only reason we opened up. We’re not selling anything inside, our shop sales have tanked.
“People are saying on social media that petrol station owners are doing really well and making a lot of money – we’re not. We make our money from shop sales, and they’re gone.”
Ahmed said he had placed an order immediately on Friday afternoon but was still waiting on confirmation of another fuel delivery for Wednesday.
“We’re a family-run business, just myself and my dad, so we’re going to have to work however we can.
“It’s like in the pandemic, we just did what we needed to do to get by.
“Everyone is panic-buying through fear that it’s going to run out and, because of that, it actually has run out.”
9.03am EDT
09:03
Health workers should be given priority access to fuel in UK, says senior doctor
Rowena Mason
No 10 is facing calls to give ambulance drivers, healthcare staff and other essential workers priority access to fuel after panic buying caused shortages across the UK.
With ministers due to meet on Monday afternoon to discuss the growing crisis, the British Medical Association (BMA) called for emergency measures to let medical staff fill up, warning that as pumps run dry “there is a real risk that NHS staff won’t be able to do their jobs”.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the chair of council at the BMA, said:
“Emergency and essential workers rely on fuel both to travel to work and for their work itself – whether this is to get to hospitals, practices and other healthcare settings, or for ambulances to reach people in urgent need of care and GPs to visit very ill patients at home.
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