Military drivers were put on standby at the beginning of the week (File)
London:
British forces will begin delivering petrol to fuel stations from Monday to help ease the ongoing crisis after fears of tanker driver shortages, the government said on Friday.
“About 200 military tanker personnel, of whom 100 are drivers, will be deployed from Monday to provide temporary support, to ease the pressure on petrol stations and address the shortage of HGV drivers,” the government said. action can be taken.” News release.
Motorists queued up at fuel pumps across Britain at the start of the week, tanks draining and angry.
The government says a shortage of tanker drivers and unprecedented demand for fuel are behind the crisis.
Fuel demand has remained stagnant throughout the week and stations are slowly re-stocking, but parts of the country still face severe shortages.
“Thanks to the immense efforts of the industry over the past week, we continue to see signs that the pump conditions are gradually improving,” Trade Minister Quasi Quarteng said.
“It is important to emphasize that there is no national fuel shortage in the UK, and that people should continue to buy fuel as usual. The sooner we return to our normal shopping habits, the sooner we can return to normalcy ,” They said.
Military drivers were put on standby at the beginning of the week, and have since received specialized training.
The government has already taken a U-turn on post-Brexit immigration policy, offering short-term visa waivers to foreign truck drivers to help bridge the shortfall.
Fuel operators including Shell, BP and Esso said “there is a lot of fuel at UK refineries” and expected to return to normal soon.
But after weeks of queues, drivers are still unable to find fuel in many parts of the country, raising concerns about the effects on the broader economy.
Critics blame the government’s inaction in dealing with Britain’s departure from the European Union in January and a shortage of lorry drivers after the pandemic, which saw many foreign truck drivers leaving the country.
Along with fuel delivery, shortages have emptied supermarket shelves and raised fears about the delivery of food and toys for Christmas.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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