London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Fuel issues persist in south but 'over' elsewhere

Fuel issues persist in south but 'over' elsewhere

Petrol supplies are still not getting to London and south-east England, with more than a fifth of forecourts still dry, retailers have said.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said it hoped the Army driving tankers would help increase fuel deliveries.

But it said the "crisis is virtually at an end" in Scotland, Wales, the North and Midlands.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier did not rule out supply chain problems continuing until Christmas.

Brian Madderson, chairman of the PRA, said: "The fuel is still not going to the pumps that need it most in London and the South East."

On Sunday morning up to 22% of filling stations in the UK's most populous region were dry and only 60% had both grades of fuel available. The PRA said only 6% of stations were dry in the Midlands, northern England and Scotland.

Mr Madderson said the PRA, which represents nearly 5,500 of the UK's 8,000 filling stations, was "disappointed that no concerted action is being taken to address the supply problems" in the South.

Filling stations need to get more information ahead of time about deliveries, he said.

However, he said in the North there was a "plentiful supply at filling stations" and little queuing.

Mr Madderson added he hoped the army being deployed "will help to increase fuel deliveries".

From Monday military personnel will start to be available for hauliers to use, with more than 65 drivers available initially.

There are plans for 200 members of the army to be deployed in total, including 100 drivers.

A government spokesman said: "Stocks in London and the South of England have been recovering at slightly slower rates than other parts of the UK, so we have begun deploying military personnel to boost supply in these areas."

"More than half of those who have completed training to make fuel deliveries are being deployed to terminals serving London and the South-East of England."

Fuel crisis: Five key dates


*  23 September: BP temporarily closes some petrol stations due to a shortage of lorry drivers
*  25 September: After days of long queues at stations, with many running dry, the government announces a temporary visa scheme, allowing 5,000 lorry drivers to work in the UK in the run-up to Christmas
*  27 September: The Army is put on standby to help deliver fuel to stations hit by shortages
*  28 September: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the situation at forecourts is "stabilising", while the PRA says there are "early signs" pressure is starting to ease at pumps
*  2 October: Despite a "distinct improvement" nationwide, the PRA says petrol supplies remain critical in London and south-east England

Supermarket Sainsbury's said it was still seeing "high demand" for fuel at its petrol stations.

"We're working closely with our supplier to maintain supply and all our sites continue to receive fuel," a spokeswoman said.

Many sectors of the UK economy, including food firms and petrol retailers, have been affected by a chronic shortage of lorry drivers, which the haulage industry has blamed on factors including Covid, Brexit, an aging workforce, and tax changes.

On Sunday Boris Johnson told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that labour market problems would not be solved by pulling "the big lever marked uncontrolled immigration" to allow in large numbers of foreign workers.

He insisted the lack of lorry drivers was not just a problem for the UK, and claimed the US, China, and some countries in Europe were having similar issues.

However, there have been no reports of fuel problems or interruptions to food supply linked to driver shortages in those countries.

The rush of people filling up their cars in the past week was triggered by reports that a shortage of tanker drivers was affecting deliveries.

The prime minister said the UK economy was going through a "period of adjustment" and the way to get more HGV drivers was for the industry to ensure they were "decently paid".

He added: "We have got to make sure people come on stream as fast as we practically can.

"When people voted for change in 2016, when they voted for change again in 2019 as they did, they voted for the end of a broken model of the UK economy that relied on low wages and low skills and chronic low productivity. We are moving away from that."


More than a week on from the first forecourt queues and closures, what began as a problem mainly affecting Southern parts of the country has returned to being just that.

Following limited supply issues caused by a tanker driver shortage, pleas not to panic buy were seemingly ignored. The resulting crisis has shown the impact a sudden hike in demand can have on the finely balanced supply chain.

Measures aimed at helping the distribution system cope have included temporarily relaxing competition laws, so oil firms could better share information and target fuel deliveries.

The situation appears to have improved markedly in many regions of the UK but less so in the densely-populated capital and the South East.

Businesses, the government and of course millions of motorists will hope the deployment of military drivers from Monday helps to plug remaining gaps.


Boris Johnson: The "big lever marked uncontrolled immigration" will not be pulled to solve the driver shortage


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×