Fuel shortages getting WORSE in some areas as one petrol station charging eye-watering £2.67 per litre
FUEL shortages are getting WORSE in some areas – as one central-London petrol station charges an eye-watering £2.67 per litre.
Countless pumps are still running on empty nation-wide, with the fuel crisis a "really big problem" in London and the South East, according to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA).
Queues of drivers snaked along roads outside petrol stations from 1am this morning with drivers desperate to be the first-in-line for opening.
And now, 200 soldiers are set to start delivering petrol on Monday in a bid to end the crisis after going through a crash HGV course.
In a frantic big to avoid running out – and to capitalise on the rush for petrol – one greedy London forecourt is charging £2.67 per litre.
Motorists watched as the cost of petrol shot up by 35 per cent from an already pricey £1.98 at the Gulf station in Slone Avenue, west London.
Local resident Simon Lloyd, 56, said: “I thought it was high at £1.98.5 and then it’s gone up.
“It wouldn’t suprise me by Sunday it will be banging on the door at three quid. It’s always been expensive.
“It’s only a small petrol station with three pumps, they are trying to dissuade people in a nice way from filling up their tanks.
“But the guy in the picture filled up with 55 litres so it’s not deterring people at all, they will pay any price.
“There were guys parked in there for hours waiting for it to open.”
In a bid to encourage calm and dissuade panic buyers, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said the fuel situation is "stabilising" in most parts of the country and the military is being deployed as a "precaution".
It comes as…
- Britain faces a months-long fuel, energy, and food crisis, ministers fear
- A man was filmed shouting "I'll slap you" at a woman in a petrol station row after she confronted him over "jumping a two-hour queue"
- Ambulance drivers are sent begging letters urging them to help drive fuel trucks amid petrol crisis
- What UK petrol stations have fuel near YOU – Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons all OPEN but crisis will still last WEEKS
He told Sky News: "I think it is right that as a precaution that the Government has asked the military to help.
"I think that is the right measure to take to make sure that people have all the confidence that they need.
"I think that will further stabilise the situation and give more confidence."
But Chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) Brian Madderson today warned that fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "In London and the South East and possibly parts of eastern England, if anything it had got worse."
Mr Madderson welcomed the announcement that military drivers are to be deployed from Monday, but he warned it will only have a limited impact.
"This isn't going to be the major panacea," he said. "It's a large help but in terms of the volume, they are not going to be able to carry that much.
"We do need a prioritisation of deliveries to filling stations – particularly the independent ones which are the neighbourhood retail sites – in London and the South East starting immediately."
He said rising world oil prices mean motorists should expect higher prices at the pumps when filling stations are resupplied.
"Expect anything from 1, 2 or even 3p a litre increases at the pump. This is not profiteering. This is genuine wholesale price increases causes by global factors."
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