London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 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
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×