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A 'no fuel' sign outside a Shell petrol station near Clapham, South London today. Alamy Stock Photo

Calls to prioritise key workers in UK fuel crisis

Fuel shortages at filling stations are now having a knock-on effect across several sectors.

THE UK GOVERNMENT has faced calls for nurses, police, teachers and other key workers to be given priority at petrol pumps today, as the army was put on standby to ease a fuel supply crisis.

Filling stations across the country have seen long, snaking queues of frustrated and angry motorists concerned that a shortage of tanker drivers could lead to pumps running dry.

But four days of panic-buying, even as the government insisted there was no shortage of fuel stocks, has left some frontline public sector workers unable to get to work.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there were “tentative signs of stabilisation”, as filling stations were restocked, although that has not yet shortened queues.

But he blamed the public for panic-buying and the pandemic, which prevented 30,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers being tested, for the issue.

“Once we all return to our normal buying habits… the quicker we can get back to normality,” he told Sky News.

The British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, however, said “urgent action” was still required, as healthcare staff were increasingly unable to travel.

“We can’t be waiting in queues for two or three hours for petrol or diesel when we have patients to see,” BMA deputy chairman David Wrigley told Times Radio.

Britain’s biggest public sector workers’ union, Unison, called for the government to trigger emergency powers, as some local authorities mulled unilaterally declaring a major incident to give priority to essential staff.

Paramedic Jennifer Ward, 21, said she had to try five different garages in Norfolk, eastern England, before she could fill up her ambulance.

“We work a stressful job and we don’t need any added anxiety,” she told the Daily Mail.

‘Get a grip’

The government maintains that a lack of tanker drivers to deliver fuel and unprecedented demand is behind the crisis, and the situation was likely to ease in the coming days.

Despite repeated denials throughout the day, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced late yesterday that troops had been put on alert to deploy if required.

The Sun newspaper, normally supportive of Johnson, said the mixed messaging was undermining public confidence, and accused the government of being “asleep at the wheel”.

“Is anyone actually in charge in Downing Street?” it asked in an editorial. “Get a grip on it, PM. Public patience is close to breaking point.”

Fuel shortages at filling stations are now having a knock-on effect across several sectors.

Dozens of non-league football matches were called off because players and officials have been unable to travel, and some schools said online lessons could return.

The head of the NASUWT teaching union, Patrick Roach, said public transport was “simply not an option” for many teachers, as their schools could only be reached by car.

Chair of the National Courier and Despatch Association David Brown told AFP his drivers were unable to commit to some longer journeys as they were “struggling to find fuel”.

‘Utter incompetence’

Britain was contending with a shortage of truckers even before the shortfalls in tanker drivers began to bite, with the resulting empty supermarket shelves and delivery delays stoking fears of a lack of food and toys for Christmas.

The British Meat Processors Association has said fears the panic-buying of fuel could make existing supply chain problems to supermarkets worse and cause further shortages.

The government insists Europe is facing the same problem and has eased its post-Brexit immigration rules for three months in the hope of enticing foreign truckers back.

But critics say that is unlikely to help, blaming the country’s departure from the EU that took full effect in January, combined with the pandemic, and a failure to replace the thousands of overseas drivers who left.

The main opposition Labour party’s home affairs spokesman, Nick Thomas-Symonds, accused the government of “utter incompetence” and blamed it on its “handling of Brexit”.

“The blame lies squarely with them, it lies with no-one else,” he added.

© AFP 2021

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    Mute Edmund Murphy
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:26 PM

    You have to laugh at the Irexit Looneys who thought following them would be a good idea.

    106
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    Mute Sean Kelly
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:20 PM

    All of this wouldn’t be happening if truck drivers and manual workers were paid a decent wage from the start. It’s not that natives won’t do it, far from it. It’s just they know their worth.

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    Mute pkunzip doom2.zip
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    Sep 28th 2021, 3:04 PM

    @Sean Kelly: Unfortunately driving is a low skill job, if you increase pay, then the product needs to be sold for more. Can’t have it both ways

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Sep 28th 2021, 4:27 PM

    @pkunzip doom2.zip: Low skill are you for real?

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Sep 28th 2021, 8:43 PM

    @pkunzip doom2.zip: you try reversing a 40ft arctic it to the loading area on most supermarkets. Or driving down roads which barley accommodate 2 trucks. Without these skilled individuals you would most likely starve.

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    Mute Jj
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:27 PM

    First Brexit, then Covid, now Brexit again, do the DUP still want to follow England’s example?

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    Mute Willie Bill Bryan
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:26 PM

    Average age of truck drivers here is 57 crisis coming rapidly down the line

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:33 PM

    @Willie Bill Bryan: There is already a shortage of drivers in Ireland.

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    Mute James
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:48 PM

    @Willie Bill Bryan: long hours poor wages plays a factor in it.thats why Ireland is importing truck drivers from south Africa and eastern europe.if the conditions were better they probably would a big uptake of Irish drivers

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Sep 28th 2021, 4:36 PM

    A few years ago I was renewing my ADR licence (Tankers) I was the youngest on the course at 40, No one wants to get into an industry were everything is the drivers fault plus long unsociable hours early starts like 1am or overnight trunking.
    No proper places to pull in and take your legally required breaks, Along with you’re sleep pattern all over the place lake of exercise as you are constantly tired.
    Or the fact that two UK logistics companies tried to bring in a roster were by they would call the driver at 9pm to inform them they are required in work the following morning at 3am, Not sure of any other industries that would allow that.

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    Mute Derek Anderson
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:05 PM

    I thought going all electric vehicles wasn’t due till 2030.
    Looks like it’s sooner than later.

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:04 PM

    TEACHERS!!!!!!

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    Mute Jj
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    Sep 28th 2021, 2:30 PM

    @Tony Harris: Do you not approve of their choice?

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    Mute jkcdub
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    Sep 28th 2021, 3:54 PM

    Bring back horses and carriages i say …..

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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Sep 28th 2021, 3:49 PM

    M0r0ns.

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