Lack of truckers worsens gasoline and product shortages in UK supermarkets

Thousands of UK service stations ran out of fuel on Sunday due to a supply disruption due to a lack of truckers, reported an industry group.

The Fuel Dealers Association, which is almost 5,500 independent establishments, pointed out that around two-thirds of its members said they had run out of gasoline and that other gas stations “They have very little fuel left and they are about to run out.”

The president of the association, Brian Madderson, said the shortage is the result of “panicking purchases is simple ”.

“There is a lot of fuel in this country, but it is not where it should be”he said to BBC. “It continues in the terminals and in the refineries.”

Queues of vehicles formed at many gas stations over the weekend, and the frustrations were evident after some drivers waited for hours. Police had to surrender to a London train station on Sunday after a scuffle broke out. A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault, police reported.

Transport industry says tens of thousands of truckers are needed in UK, in part due to a combination of factors, including the coronavirus pandemic, the advanced age of the workforce and the exodus of foreign employees following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union Last year.

Several countries, including the United States and Germany, also suffer from a shortage of truck drivers. The problem has been particularly visible in Britain, where it has contributed to empty shelves in supermarkets and a lack of fuel at gas stations.

After weeks of increasing pressure, Britain’s Conservative government announced on Saturday it would issue thousands of emergency visas to foreign truck drivers to help prevent a Christmas without turkeys and toys for many UK families.

The government has announced that it will issue 5,000 three-month visas for truckers from October and another 5,500 for poultry workers.

Industry groups have welcomed the new visa regime, although the British Retail Consortium has said it is “Too little, too late.”

Ruby McGregor-Smith, president of the Confederation of British Industry, said the announcement was “The equivalent of throwing a dice of water on a bonfire.”

(With AP information)

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