No panic at Arran fuel pumps but business is brisk
Fuel stations on Arran have experienced a massive surge in business over the past week however nothing on par with the lengthy queues and panic buying seen elsewhere in Scotland.
The rush for fuel started last week after oil firm BP announced some petrol stations needed to close because of a lack of lorry drivers, prompting fears fuel shortages would be imminent.
In England, and parts of Scotland, many fuel stations shut altogether as supplies ran out and lengthy queues formed at forecourts that still had petrol and diesel.
On Arran, demand skyrocketed with one fuel station reporting doing the equivalent of one week’s worth of sales in just two days. And while there have been queues, at times, the customers have all been served within minutes, rather than hours or even days, as experienced by those in densely populated areas south of the border.
Flora Lammie at the Brodick fuel station said: ‘Monday was our busiest day in well over three years.
‘Queues formed around the corner towards the ferry terminal but all of the customers were able to fill up.
‘We did run out of diesel for two-and-a-half hours on Monday but were able to secure supplies quickly. The bulk of the customers have been from the mainland, people either arriving on the island and finding availability, or people departing the island and wanting to make sure that they had enough fuel for their journey.
‘Other petrol stations on the island have all experienced the same increase in demand and staff are being kept very busy. I was run off my feet over the weekend and on Monday but it does make the day go very quickly.’
The Petrol Retailers Association has stressed there is plenty of fuel available and that the shortages are only at the point of sale because of temporary spikes in customer demand. UK transport secretary Grant Shapps said he expected panic buying to subside as the exceptional demand decreased, while it was confirmed that army tanker drivers would be brought in if required to deal with long queues and pump closures.