LONDON: Britain on Monday put the military on standby to help with the ongoing fuel crisis as fears of tanker driver shortages dried up many pumps across the country, triggering panic.
“A limited number of military tanker drivers will be kept in a state of readiness and deployed to further stabilize the fuel supply chain if necessary,” the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement issued late Monday. ”
Desperate motorists queued up at fuel pumps across Britain, draining tanks, angering and calling on the government to use emergency powers to prioritize health care and other essential workers.
The government says a shortage of tanker drivers and unprecedented demand for fuel are behind the crisis.
If the crisis does not subside in the days to come, military drivers will receive special training before deployment.
“While the fuel industry expects demand to return to normal levels in the coming days, it is appropriate that we take this sensible, precautionary step,” said Trade Secretary Quasi Quarteng.
“If necessary, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in local demand for fuel,” he said.
The government has already taken a tough U-turn on post-Brexit immigration policy, offering short-term visa waivers to foreign truck drivers to help make up for the shortfall.
Fuel operators including Shell, BP and Esso said there was “a lot of fuel at UK refineries” and were expected to return to normal levels in days, easing pressure.
“We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually do,” he said in a joint statement.
But long queues were seen outside filling stations, even overnight, leaving drivers disappointed and concerns expressed about the effects on the broader economy.
“People are desperate. If I don’t get petrol now, I can’t get work,” David Hart, a driver, told AFP.
Unison, Britain’s largest public sector union, said key staff, including doctors, nurses, teachers and police staff, should be given priority rather than waiting in line.
“The government can now address this problem by using emergency powers to designate fuel stations for the sole use of key employees,” said Secretary-General Christina McNea.
Medical bodies have already said some health workers have struggled to go to work, while schools have warned that online teaching could resume if teachers are unable to access their classes.
The Petrol Retailers Association said nearly half of Britain’s 8,000 fuel pumps had run out of petrol on Sunday, blaming “panic-buying, pure and simple” for the issue.
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.
Germany’s weekend election winner Olaf Scholz directly linked the problems Brexit And that low wages in this field can make the job less attractive.
“We worked hard to persuade the British not to leave the Union,” said Scholz.
The situation led to the dark days of the 1970s, when energy supply problems led to a three-day work week and fuel rationing in Britain.
It is also reminiscent of the late 2000s, when people protesting high fuel prices blocked oil refineries, bringing the country to a virtual standstill for weeks.
The government called for peace and urged people to buy petrol in general.
The government, which campaigned during Brexit to end European free movement, is banking on a short-term visa waiver to bridge the gap in drivers, which it says is a Europe-wide problem.
It said on Saturday that it would issue 10,500 temporary work visas to lorry drivers and poultry workers from next month to December 24, to ease chronic shortages of staff.
Head of the British Poultry Council, Richard GriffithsThe U.S. welcomed the move but warned that it may be too little, too late to avoid food shortages.
He said, “Supply chain is not something that can be switched on and off easily, so production planning is already well in place and necessary cuts have already been made due to the ongoing labor shortage ”
“A limited number of military tanker drivers will be kept in a state of readiness and deployed to further stabilize the fuel supply chain if necessary,” the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement issued late Monday. ”
Desperate motorists queued up at fuel pumps across Britain, draining tanks, angering and calling on the government to use emergency powers to prioritize health care and other essential workers.
The government says a shortage of tanker drivers and unprecedented demand for fuel are behind the crisis.
If the crisis does not subside in the days to come, military drivers will receive special training before deployment.
“While the fuel industry expects demand to return to normal levels in the coming days, it is appropriate that we take this sensible, precautionary step,” said Trade Secretary Quasi Quarteng.
“If necessary, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in local demand for fuel,” he said.
The government has already taken a tough U-turn on post-Brexit immigration policy, offering short-term visa waivers to foreign truck drivers to help make up for the shortfall.
Fuel operators including Shell, BP and Esso said there was “a lot of fuel at UK refineries” and were expected to return to normal levels in days, easing pressure.
“We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually do,” he said in a joint statement.
But long queues were seen outside filling stations, even overnight, leaving drivers disappointed and concerns expressed about the effects on the broader economy.
“People are desperate. If I don’t get petrol now, I can’t get work,” David Hart, a driver, told AFP.
Unison, Britain’s largest public sector union, said key staff, including doctors, nurses, teachers and police staff, should be given priority rather than waiting in line.
“The government can now address this problem by using emergency powers to designate fuel stations for the sole use of key employees,” said Secretary-General Christina McNea.
Medical bodies have already said some health workers have struggled to go to work, while schools have warned that online teaching could resume if teachers are unable to access their classes.
The Petrol Retailers Association said nearly half of Britain’s 8,000 fuel pumps had run out of petrol on Sunday, blaming “panic-buying, pure and simple” for the issue.
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.
Germany’s weekend election winner Olaf Scholz directly linked the problems Brexit And that low wages in this field can make the job less attractive.
“We worked hard to persuade the British not to leave the Union,” said Scholz.
The situation led to the dark days of the 1970s, when energy supply problems led to a three-day work week and fuel rationing in Britain.
It is also reminiscent of the late 2000s, when people protesting high fuel prices blocked oil refineries, bringing the country to a virtual standstill for weeks.
The government called for peace and urged people to buy petrol in general.
The government, which campaigned during Brexit to end European free movement, is banking on a short-term visa waiver to bridge the gap in drivers, which it says is a Europe-wide problem.
It said on Saturday that it would issue 10,500 temporary work visas to lorry drivers and poultry workers from next month to December 24, to ease chronic shortages of staff.
Head of the British Poultry Council, Richard GriffithsThe U.S. welcomed the move but warned that it may be too little, too late to avoid food shortages.
He said, “Supply chain is not something that can be switched on and off easily, so production planning is already well in place and necessary cuts have already been made due to the ongoing labor shortage ”
.