Fuel delivered – but the queueing goes on
DRIVERS LINE UP AT ONE GARAGE AFTER SPOTTING TANKER ARRIVAL
FUEL trucks have been delivering to petrol stations across the county today – but it has not stopped motorists panic buying.
Several garages which had run out of unleaded and diesel have been able to start selling fuel again.
But large queues have been forming almost as quickly as the tankers have been pulling off forecourts.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps called the widespread panic a “manufactured crisis”, saying shortages were being caused by drivers refuelling unnecessarily.
“The most important thing is, if people carry on as they normally would and fill up their cars as they normally would, then you won’t have queues and you won’t have shortages at the pump either,” he told Sky News’ Trevor Philips on Sunday show.
“It’s not like we don’t have fuel in the country. We do need to just ensure people are filling up when they need to fill up, rather than thinking I’d better go and fill up now just in case I need it next week or the week after.”
However, the lack of fuel is causing issues for workers whose tanks are almost empty.
Prestige Nursing and Care Leicestershire took to Facebook to ask for help so its workers can visit their clients.
It said: “Our care workers need to get to our clients to provide them with the care they need.
“Please comment below if you know which petrol stations have fuel in North West Leicestershire, Ashby and surrounding villages and Castle Donington.”
The petrol station at Asda in Fosse Park was one of the few places selling diesel in Leicestershire.
Unleaded was still unavailable, but a long queue of drivers still formed outside the station.
Large queues also formed at the Tesco station in Hamilton after a Sunday morning fuel delivery.
One motorist said drivers had spotted the tanker making a delivery and a queue formed while they waited for it to fill the pumps.
Morrisons in Loughborough also had fuel available, while the Esso Tesco Express petrol station in Fosse Road North, Leicester, received a delivery in the mid-afternoon after it had run out of fuel on Saturday. But there were still many stations without fuel on Sunday afternoon.
They included Shell, in Narborough Road, BP in Saffron Lane and Shell in London Road, Oadby.
A large number of petrol stations have added a £30 cap per customer, including EG group, which owns garages branded BP, Esso and Texaco.
Running on empty – the national situation, Page 12.
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