Petrol panic buying starts and MPs consider drafting army to transport supplies

The government are considering drafting in the army to transport goods as temporary fix for the supply chain crisis.

Panic buying has already started at petrol stations across the UK as motorists have been told not to let their petrol tank go below a quarter full.

ExxonMobil, which owns Esso said, “a small number of our 200 Tesco Alliance retail sites are impacted.”

Tesco filling stations have shuttered some sites on Friday morning as well as BP.

Gordon Balmer, an executive director at the Petrol Retailers Association has told motorists don’t let the dial tip fall into the red incase your local or nearest petrol station is closed.

@grantshapps “no need to panic buy petrol” you say… surely you know that people will interpret that as PANIC. Here’s the view at two stations just a couple of miles apart in Hertford. pic.twitter.com/Ki4ghynM4V

— David J Norton (@CommsQuestMD) September 24, 2021

BP’s head of UK retail, Hanna Hofer said “two thirds of normal forecourt stock levels required for smooth operations,” but warned this is “declining rapidly” as they can only provide 80% of their normal service to 90% of their network.

Tens of thousands of petrol stations are currently effected and fuel will not be restocked on an average of one and half days each week.

BP warned that there will be many petrol stations that will have no fuel and forecourts will be forced to temporarily close.

BP said motorway service stations will remain their top priority to enable drivers to remain on the move, but further warned the next few weeks is going to be “really, really difficult,” but this will stabilise.

⛽️ Queues to get into @Tesco petrol station in #Ferndown this morning. Access down Spinneys Lane is currently blocked by traffic ⛽️ #panicbuying #PaniceAtThePumps pic.twitter.com/lPc7otPeU0

— Dorset View (@Dorset_View) September 24, 2021

The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was asked if the government are looking to the military for help, he told the BBC, “I will look at every possibility, every way of doing this.

“With regard to things like whether there’s a role for military, obviously, if there is, if that actually helps we’ll bring them in.”

A government spokesperson said, “There is no shortage of fuel in the UK, and people should continue to buy fuel as normal.”