London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 17, 2026

No fuel shortage? Motorists queue for petrol across UK, nearly 400 stations impose £30 limit amid ‘unprecedented demand’

No fuel shortage? Motorists queue for petrol across UK, nearly 400 stations impose £30 limit amid ‘unprecedented demand’

The deepening energy crisis in Britain has reached fuel supply, with large queues spotted at petrol stations across the country. One of the providers, EG Group, has imposed a £30 limit due to a surge in demand.

Long queues of cars at petrol stations were spotted across the UK on Friday, with hundreds of motorists seeking to top off their tanks amid fears of fuel shortages.


Some petrol stations ran out of fuel and closed, while many others lacked at least one brand of fuel, according to British media reports. Around 20 of 1,200 stations run by BP have been temporarily closed, while ExxonMobil’s Esso stated that “a small number” of its 200 Tesco Alliance got affected by the crisis.


EG Group, a British retailer operating nearly 400 retail sites across the UK, has imposed a flat £30 limit on purchases of any type of fuel. The company said the cap was introduced due to an “unprecedented customer demand.”


Britain’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has blamed the fuel issues on logistics problems. While the country’s refineries had “plenty of petrol” stockpiled, the UK has been plagued by the lack of lorry drivers, the official said, suggesting that the government might bring the army in to move fuel and other goods around.

“If it can actually help, we will bring them in,” he told BBC Breakfast.

Shapps also rejected the notion that Brexit was to blame for the current crisis, arguing that parting ways with the EU benefited the local haulage industry.

“So Brexit actually has provided part of the solution of giving more slots available for HGV tests and a lot more,” he said, adding that EU members Poland and Germany have faced a similar problem.

Other government officials and MPs rushed to reassure the public as well. Conservative MP Paul Holmes, for instance, warned against “panic buying,” insisting it was behind the shortages.

“Supply lines are good and deliveries are happening. If you panic buy you are causing a problem, and panic buying is not the solution,” tweeted Holmes, who represents Eastleigh.


Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries also tried to allay concerns of the motorists, denying that any fuel shortages were in place.

“There is no fuel shortage. I repeat, THERE IS NO FUEL SHORTAGE!!” she tweeted.


Dorries’ take on the fuel crisis invoked a storm of mockery, with hundreds of commenters flocking to her Twitter feed. Many argued the official’s attempt to calm the situation down might actually be more panic-inducing than reassuring.


The fuel supply issues come atop of the natural gas troubles experienced by the UK over the past few weeks. Soaring gas prices have already driven multiple smaller energy providers out of business, with more companies expected to collapse shortly.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
Lewisham Council Blocks Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Enforcement
UK Parliament Investigates Growing Pressures on Scotch Whisky Industry
Teen Hackers Sentenced Over Thirty-Nine Million Pound Transport for London Cyber Attack
Ministry of Defence Acquires Scottish Fuel Terminal to Strengthen Royal Navy Operations
Bank of England Eases Rules as Economic Growth Remains Weak
Bank of England Governor Warns Andy Burnham on Britain’s Long Economic Stagnation
UK Defence Ministry Buys Scottish Fuel Terminal to Secure Naval Energy Supplies
UK Secures Access to European Defence Contracts Through Ukraine Support Deal
Bank of England Plans Easier Capital Rules to Encourage More Lending
Met Office Says England and Wales Have Already Broken Summer Heat Records
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Investigation Into Murder of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
UK Government Nationalises British Steel to Protect Domestic Steel Production
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
Zelensky Faces Kyiv Protests Over Ousting of Dynamic Ukrainian Defense Minister
×