British Army to Help with Fuel Shortages

The United Kingdom will deploy British soldiers to help with fuel shortages at gas stations in the coming days. Motorists are still queuing for fuel. Due to a shortage of tanker drivers, gas stations are having problems with deliveries.

 

Subsequently, motorists have started hoarding petrol en masse in the past week, which creates a chaotic situation.

According to British Economy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng, 150 British soldiers will take tankers to the petrol stations to refill the pumps. Kwarteng calls the situation of recent days “difficult” but expects it to stabilize. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also wanted to reduce panic among the British. He said on Tuesday that fuel supplies would return to normal. He also asked the British not to hoard petrol.

Kwarteng also announced that the ‘reserve fleet’ of government tankers will also be deployed to help with the shortages later in the day. Civilians then drive those trucks.

The biggest shortages of petrol and diesel are in London, the south-east of the country and some other English cities. According to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents about 5,500 gas stations, more than a third of its members were without fuel. Riots have already broken out between motorists queuing at stations. Some people even use water bottles to put gasoline in.

The hauliers, gas stations and retailers say there are no quick fixes because the driver shortage is so dire. In addition, fuel transportation requires training and permits. Drivers in mainland Europe are also not eager to get to the UK as the 5,000 temporary visas being issued are only valid until December 24th.

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