Fuel crisis: Army begins deliveries to service stations as part of Operation Escalin as driver shortage continues | UK News

The armed forces face a “predicament” as they help deliver fuel to service stations amid persistent scarcity.

About 200 soldiers – half of whom are drivers – have been deployed as part of Operation Escalin with the aim of increasing the number of tanker drivers.

Most of the troops, who have been on standby since last week, are working in London and the South East, where the worst shortages remain.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said the fuel situation in London and the South East remained “difficult”, despite the easing shortages in much of the country.

A statement from Executive Director Gordon Balmer said: “Today’s figures show that the situation is still difficult around London and the South East despite marginal improvement: 52% of sites surveyed have both grades of fuel available , 18% have only one quality and 20% are dry.

“In the rest of the country, however, there has been a marked improvement since yesterday with 86% of sites having both grades of fuel thanks to regular deliveries and stabilizing demand, 6% having only one grade and 8% being dry. “

Photographs from this morning showed personnel – believed to be airmen – arriving at the Buncefield oil depot in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, to begin assisting with deliveries.

Many of them have been trained with the oil logistics company Hoyer in Thurrock, Essex.

Ministers have been criticized for not sending them earlier after a wave of panic buying – sparked by reports that gas station supplies were affected – caused chaos on the forecourt.

A government spokesperson said: “We are working closely with industry to help increase fuel stocks and there are signs of improving average forecourt stocks across the UK, demand continuing to stabilize.

“Actions in London and southern England recover to a slightly slower pace than other parts of the UK, so we started deploying military personnel to increase supply to those areas.

“More than half of those trained to deliver fuel are deployed to terminals serving London and the South East of England, demonstrating that the industry is allocating drivers to the worst affected areas in this first phase from Monday. “

By late Monday morning, queues developed outside gas stations in London, Hemel Hempstead and Ashford in Kent.

When asked about the return to normal fuel supply, Number 10 replied that he could not set a date as it would depend on demand.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson added: “We are taking all possible measures to strengthen the supply and we see… day.”

When asked about lingering supply chain problems, Boris Johnson defended his government’s approach and doubled down on it.

“When you talk about some of the supply chain issues, it’s really a function of the global economy, especially the UK economy, which is coming back to life after COVID, sucking gas in particular, there is massive demand for it in Asia, “the minister said on Monday.

“In fact, there is a shortage of truck drivers in the world, from Poland to the United States, even in China, they have a shortage of truck drivers.

“What we want to see is a high-wage, high-skill economy where we invest in people, invest in fantastic infrastructure like this behind me and drive high productivity growth.

“This is the model we should be aiming for.”

Operation Escalin was initially crafted in anticipation of possible fuel shortages following Britain’s final withdrawal from the EU’s single market earlier this year.

Number 10 said the armed forces’ initial request for help lasted 31 days, but the government would continue discussions with industry on what would happen next.

The PRA welcomed the military deployment but suggested it would have only limited impact.

Mr Balmer told Sky News that of 1,100 sites he spoke to, some have been empty for more than a week.

He added that the “pinch point” of the problem is in the southeast and it may take up to 10 days for some areas to restore supply to normal levels.

Mr Balmer also said there is a “good chance” that the shortages could last until Christmas if “the drivers fail to fix the problem”.

MP Penny Mordaunt said she had been in contact with fuel outlets in Portsmouth which had not had deliveries for almost a week.

She tweeted: “I did a survey of the forecourt last night and was in direct contact with the managers in Portsmouth this morning.

“Still stations that haven’t had any deliveries and have been completely out of gas and diesel for almost a week.”

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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the crisis was “subsiding” and the military was being deployed as a “precaution”.

But he has repeatedly refused to rule out shortages spreading to the wider economy before Christmas.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he could not “wave a magic wand” to make supply chain problems go away.

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “We are seeing supply disruptions, not just here but in many different places, and there are things we can try to mitigate, and we are. “

He added: “It’s reasonable for people to expect us to do what we can.

“But we cannot wave a magic wand and make the challenges of the global supply chain disappear overnight.”

Pharmacies in some areas have been affected by a delay in drug delivery, which has raised concerns about more widespread supply issues.

“As the situation with the fuel crisis has started to improve, we are aware that some geographies continue to be affected by drug delivery delays,” Association CEO Leyla Hannbeck told Reuters of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.

The organization called on the government to make sure it has a contingency plan to avert a crisis.

“We are monitoring the situation of delivery drivers and the fuel crisis very closely,” added Hannbeck.

The UK is estimated to need at least 100,000 more truck drivers to ensure supply, and some companies have warned store shelves could be empty if this is not addressed.

Earlier, the boss of the British Meat Processors Association told Sky News there may be fewer choices available for Christmas dinner this year due to labor shortages following Brexit.

Chief Executive Nick Allen told Sky News that turkeys will probably have to come from Europe during the holiday season when some foods like pigs in blankets may not be available.

“We’re not saying there are going to be desperate shortages, but there certainly won’t be any choices available for British food, that’s for sure,” he added.

Pig farmers protested outside the Conservative Party conference on Monday as industry leaders requested a COVID recovery visa to allow companies to recruit outside the UK.

Mr Johnson did not rule out a further relaxation of immigration rules to help alleviate supply shortages – but he also insisted he didn’t want to see a return to “a lot of low-wage immigration”.

The government has said 300 tanker drivers will be able to come to the UK from abroad “immediately” on a tailor-made visa that will last until March.

Some 4,700 other visas for foreign food truck drivers will be extended beyond the three months initially announced and will last from the end of October to the end of February.

There have also been calls for the visa program to be extended to truck drivers in all sectors of the retail industry.

Elsewhere, Chancellor Rishi Sunak denied there was a “benefit for those struggling with supply chain problems” after Tory MP Chris Loder reportedly said the shortages were in “the long-term interest. term “of the British economy.

He told Sky News: “I don’t think anyone would say there is a benefit to people having to grapple with supply chain issues and not being able to get what they want when they are. where they want it, nobody wants to see it.

“What we have said more generally is that over time one of our desires is to transition to a higher wage, higher skill and more productive economy.”