'Knife' and fist fights on forecourts amid urgent calls from Tories to bring Army in to drive fuel tankers NOW... but Grant Shapps insists UK is 'seeing first signs of stabilisation' (but begs motorists to stop panic-buying)
More fighting has broken out on Britain's 'Wild West' petrol forecourts today as drivers threw punches and even pulled knives as violent rows broke out in the long queues for fuel - but Grant Shapps has insisted there are 'tentative' signs the crisis will ease this week as long as panic-buying subsides.
Boris Johnson has been urged to stop 'hiding away' and address the nation as his own MPs slammed his decision not to bring in soldiers to deliver fuel immediately to 'regain public confidence' as petrol stations started rationing fuel sales at £30.
With no sign of the Prime Minister, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today claimed the pressure on filling stations is beginning to ease and insisted the Army would remain on standby despite admitting the queues will not disappear yet.
'There are now the first very tentative signs of stabilisation in forecourt storage which won't be reflected in the queues as yet,' he said in a pooled TV clip, adding: 'But it is the first time that we have seen more petrol actually in the petrol stations. The sooner we can all return to our normal buying habits, the sooner the situation will return to normal.' As one driver was seen filling mineral water bottles with petrol, he said: 'No more water bottles at petrol stations: it's dangerous and not helpful'.
Britain's fuel crisis shows no sign of abating today as drivers again queued through the night and new video has emerged of two men punching and kicking each other across a London Shell station in a row about whose turn it was to fill up. Two women yelling 'what the f*** are you doing' broke up the punch-up as one of the fighters pointed at his foe and yelled: 'He stole my place'.
Amid widespread scenes of enormous queueing across Britain's forecourts, footage emerged of a man holding what appears to be a knife shouting at a driver outside a petrol station in Welling, south east London. The video then shows the car ramming into the alleged knifeman, who is then carried for several yards on the bonnet.
And it is proving so difficult to get fuel, thieves have been siphoning it from cars, sometimes drilling into the petrol tank, Shadrack Olaloko, from Birmingham, said: 'What these guys did was they came and drained out all my fuel in the tank'.
The brawls broke out as motorists reported queues at 11pm, 3am and 5.30am across the UK as the Government was accused of being 'asleep at the wheel' and critics questioned claims within Whitehall that the crisis will be over within two to three days.
Mike Granatt, former head of Britain's civil contingencies secretariat, the section of the Cabinet Office responsible for emergency planning in the UK, said today that the Prime Minister should give a TV press conference on the fuel crisis, as Tony Blair did in 2000. He said: 'It's called leadership. And we need some. Someone needs to stand up and say this to people rather than hide away'.
Tobias Ellwood, chair of Parliament's Defence Committee, has said the army should be mobilised, not just put on standby, to 'regain public confidence' and stop the fuel crisis.
The Conservative MP told Sky News: 'The country wants to see the Government is in command and it has a clear cross-Whitehall plan. We have gone from 1% fuel pump shortages to 90% so altering people's buying behaviour to prevent the panic buying and going back to previous purchasing patterns requires regaining the confidence of the nation.
'I believe the army should not just be put on standby but in fact mobilised, be seen to be used. That will help ease the pressure on shortages of course, it will return public confidence, and then on top of that there is the bigger issue about articulating a clear strategy to alleviate the chronic shortage of lorry drivers.'
Such is the panic at the pumps, hundreds more people than usual have been filling up on the wrong fuel. Around 250 flustered drivers have had to be rescued by the AA's specialist 'fuel assist' team on Saturday and Sunday - compared to around 20 in normal circumstances. One tanker driver told LBC that even they are struggling for fuel because they are spending so much time in queues with drivers also blocking access to HGV pumps. An industry source said while the claim could be 'credible', it is likely to be an isolated incident.
Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said Britain's petrol stations had becoming the 'Wild West' after he queued for fuel only for it to sell out before everyone got to the pumps. He said: 'Man behind me was furious and started punching the guard', adding it 'became a melee of 8-10 men on the ground, punching and kicking'.
As fighting broke out at the pumps, it also emerged today:
- Calls for Boris Johnson to stop 'hiding' and give press conference explaining what he is doing to end the crisis;
- Surrey says it is close to declaring a major incident and prioritising their stocks of fuel for key workers as Labour says NHS staff and critical workers should be given exclusive access to some pumps;
- Foreign lorry drivers say they will refuse the £4,000-a-month pay packet being offered if they return to the UK to drive tankers and trucks unless they are allowed to work in Britain for at least a year;
- Many Britons are set to face the biggest squeeze on their finances in years next month as the Government cuts support introduced at the start of the pandemic, while bills and household costs climb.
- One woman in Stockport is trying to sell ten litres of fuel on Facebook for £50 - after pair in Kent sold pre-filled jerry cans outside petrol station;
A driver pulled a knife on a motorist and was then run over outside a Welling petrol station yesterday (pictured)
Ascot high street is blocked with cars quitting to get petrol at one of the only fuel stations in the area. Customers are limited to £30 per car
The high street in Ascot was blocked in rush hour this morning after one petrol station in the area got a delivery of fuel
Fuel shortages escalate due to panic buying, as Sainsburys near Clapham South is open again with long queues
Drivers pack into Wisley South Services in Surrey this morning beside a near deserted A3
Fuel shortages escalate due to panic buying, as the Shell petrol station near Clapham South has run out
Drivers queue for fuel at an Esso petrol station in Bournville, Birmingham
A closed petrol station in Manchester, as the Government insisted the tide is now turning in the crisis
There is a driver shortage across Europe - with the largest deficit found in Poland followed by Britain and GermanyThe Government is putting the military on standby after a widespread shortage of truck drivers, which has led to serious supply problems for retailers and restaurants in the past few months, meaning plentiful stocks of fuel have not reached filling stations.
Government's emergency fuel plan suggests rationing and priority pumps for NHS and police are on the way
Rationing of fuel and filling stations just for emergency workers are the likely next steps in the crisis, Government documents reveal.
Under an emergency government plan (pictured), key workers could be given 'priority access' to a number of petrol stations.
The plan involves capping the amount of fuel drivers can buy and letting critical workers have 'priority access' to pumps.
Another option, the designated filling station scheme, could see 'emergency and critical service vehicles' having priority access. This was done by Tony Blair's government during the 2000 fuel crisis.
The document, published last year, reveals the Government's next steps are:
Designated Filling Station scheme: Emergency and critical service vehicles would be given priority access to road fuel from filling stations
Bulk Distribution Scheme: Oil companies and fuel distributors can be directed to prioritise the delivery of bulk petroleum products to critical services such as emergency services, utilities and public transport.
Commercial Distribution Scheme: Oil companies and fuel distributors can be directed to prioritise the supply of road diesel to the commercial vehicles sector to support the operation of key supply chains, such as food and health.
Maximum Purchase Scheme (rationing): This restricts the sale of road fuels at retail filling stations to the public to a maximum amount per visit to ensure that all motorists have access to some fuel.
The scheme can also limit the hours in which road fuels can be sold.
Crude Oil and Imported Product Allocation Scheme: Government can formally allocate crude oil and other imported oil products within the UK.
But critics have said Boris Johnson has known for months that there is a lack of HGV drivers but ministers have had had their 'heads in the sand'. The Prime Minister has 150 soldiers ready to drive tankers but they will not be brought in yet with one Government source telling The Times: 'We believe that the crisis will recede in the next few days'.
Grant Shapps has rejected criticism that the Government has been too slow to mobilise the Army to help deal with the fuel crisis.
Ministers announced on Monday they were putting troops on standby to deliver supplies as filling stations continued to run dry.
In a pool clip for broadcasters, Mr Shapps said: 'There is a series of escalations that you go through in a crisis like this.
'We have already put 18 different steps in place which stretch right the way back to the spring.
'The system was just about coping until last weekend and it would have been capable of continuing to do so.
'Unfortunately, as we have seen with toilet rolls and other things, once people start to pursue a particular item, it can quickly escalate.
'But there is only so much petrol you can transfer into tanks. That is starting to work its way through.'
He said that Brexit has been a 'factor' in the current fuel crisis.
Mr Shapps said the primary cause of the shortages had been the cancellation of HGV driver testing last year due to the pandemic.
However, he added: 'Brexit I hear mentioned a lot and it no doubt will have been a factor.
'On the other hand, it has actually helped us to change rules to be able to test more drivers more quickly.
'So, it has actually worked in both ways.'
Mr Shapps condemned motorists who tried to fill up plastic water bottles with petrol as the panic buying continued.
'It is dangerous and extremely unhelpful,' he said.
Under an emergency government plan, key workers could be given 'priority access' to a number of petrol stations. The plan involves capping the amount of fuel drivers can buy and letting critical workers have 'priority access' to pumps, The Telegraph reports.
Another option, the designated filling station scheme, could see 'emergency and critical service vehicles' having priority access. This was done by Tony Blair's government during the 2000 fuel crisis.
Some areas have already seen bin collections cancelled, and teaching unions have warned that schools could need to go back to online learning if teachers cannot drive to work.
After a dizzying 24 hours of dithering over the use of soldiers to plug the HGV driver gap, ministers agreed to put the Army on standby. It is hoped that panic-buying will ease this week to reduce pressure on fuel supplies. But if the crisis does not abate, ministers will trigger 'Operation Escalin'.
About 150 military tanker drivers were put into a state of readiness under the operation, sources said. Some of them will receive further training in the next few days to be able to deliver fuel if required. The operation, originally conceived in case of a no-deal Brexit, could potentially see hundreds of troops brought in to help.
Surrey council is on the brink of declaring a major incident to give NHS and key workers priority access to petrol under fuel crisis plans
Surrey Council is considering declaring a 'major incident' to give critical public workers exclusive access to certain petrol stations under a government plan to control the fuel crisis.
Under the Designated Filling Station Scheme, only marked emergency service or NHS vehicles would be allowed to use the designated filling sites. Any vital public staff without a marked car could get a sticker through what officials call the Temporary Logo Scheme.
Other measures in Cabinet Office emergency planning documents have already been enacted, including suspending competition law so fuel distributors can share data to prioritise sites most at need, and allowing drivers to work longer hours. Officials have also begun training soldiers to drive tankers.
Surrey County Council is considering prioritising emergency workers independently of central government by declaring a 'major incident'.
This is defined as an event that is 'beyond the scope of business-as-usual operations, and is likely to involve serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services, the environment or national security'.
Declaring a major incident leads to the creation of a local Strategic Coordinating Group - which temporary brings police, fire and NHS services under a single command structure to allow emergency services to coordinate and make quicker decisions.
Chairman of the British Medical Association council, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, told The Times that 'everyone will have their own reasons for needing to fill up, but as pumps run dry there is a real risk that NHS staff won't be able to do their jobs and provide vital services and care to people who urgently need it'.
National officer of the GMB union, Rachel Harrison, told The Mirror: 'During this completely avoidable crisis, petrol must be prioritised for those key workers who save lives and keep the country moving.'
Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay chaired cross-government talks on Monday afternoon to discuss the situation as industry leaders continued to insist there is 'plenty' of fuel at UK refineries and terminals.
Leading suppliers, including BP, Esso and Shell, said demand for petrol should return to normal levels in 'the coming days'.
'As an industry we are working closely with the Government to help ensure fuel is available to be delivered to stations across the country,' they said in a joint statement last night.
The government had already announced plans to issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers, suspend competition laws and entice former drivers back into the industry as part of measures to deal with the labour shortage.
It said it would now put a limited number of military tanker drivers on a state of readiness to be deployed if necessary.
'While the fuel industry expects demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, it's right that we take this sensible, precautionary step,' business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement late on Monday.
'If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel.'
Prioritising key workers for fuel is not a sensible solution as it could cause 'more chaos' on the forecourts, a headteachers' union has said.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'The last thing children need is further disruption to education given the experience of the last 18 months.
'Prioritising key workers is not a sensible solution as it would be impossible to enforce and could cause more chaos on the forecourts.
'The only real answer is for the Government to do everything in its power to get fuel to pumps and bring this situation to an end.'
He added that, so far, the school leaders' union is not hearing that fuel supply issues are causing major problems for schools.
'But if shortages go on much longer it is possible that children and teachers could find themselves unable to get to school - there could be problems with transport for special schools in particular,' Mr Whiteman said.
The queues at 3am in London for fuel as the crisis continues across the UK as Boris Johnson kept soldiers on standby to drive tankers
Residents of Romford have said they have had non-stop queues for the past 5 days but Government sources have insisted the crisis will ease this week
Queues in London this morning at 5.30am as fights break out at the pumps as petrol stations run dry
Cars were queuing in all directions for fuel at this petrol station in Brent this morning
Fuel shortages escalate due to panic buying as Sainsburys near Clapham South yesterday
Police intervene at an Esso garage in Rayners Lane as traffic blocks all approaches and junctions towards the petrol station
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tonight announced that army tanker drivers were being put on standby. He tweeted: 'Today we're asking army tanker drivers to be ready to deploy. And extending licences for fuel transporters to keep on road. As joint statement by 10 fuel suppliers says, if everyone buys fuel as normal petrol stations will revert to normal service.'
A police officer is pictured speaking with people at a north London petrol station amid an ongoing fuel crisisThe army tanker drivers will receive specialised training before deploying to help deal with supply chain issues, the government said.
'PLEASE BE MORE THOUGHTFUL TO PARAMEDICS'
Jennifer Ward
A paramedic had to try five different garages before she could fill up her ambulance.
Jennifer Ward, 21, drove around desperately for an hour and a half.
She began her shift in Norfolk with a full tank – but after driving more than 250 miles needed to refuel.
'We work a stressful job and we don't need any added anxiety,' she said. 'We've now got to try to plan our day around where they'll accept blue lights as a priority. It angers you when you see the photos of people panic-buying.'
Miss Ward, who works for independent emergency care provider Medicare EMS Group UK Ltd, urged drivers to be 'more thoughtful' and only buy the fuel they need.The demand for fuel has meant that 50% to 90% of pumps were dry in some areas of Britain, according The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents independent fuel retailers who account for 65% of all the 8,380 UK forecourts.
The fuel industry says there is no shortage, and the issue is transporting petrol and diesel to forecourts.
'As many cars are now holding more fuel than usual, we expect that demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, easing pressures on fuel station forecourts. We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would,' said a joint statement from fuel firms.
However, hauliers, gas stations and retailers say there are no quick fixes as the shortfall of truck drivers - estimated to be around 100,000 - was so acute, and because transporting fuel demands additional training and licensing.
The government said it was also extending specific HGV (heavy good vehicle) licences, which allow drivers to transport fuel, for those whose permits were due to expire in the next three months to allow them to keep working without having to take refresher courses.
Transport Minister Grant Shapps said they were already seeing an easing of demand at gas stations as the public responded to the message not to buy fuel unnecessarily.
The fuel crisis has seen up to nine in ten forecourts run dry, leaving NHS staff including doctors and nurses as well as care workers without petrol and schools planning a return to online learning because teachers can't fill up their cars. There are growing calls for critical workers to get priority access to forecourts this week.
Police have now been called in to control forecourts, with officers pictured at a north London Esso garage directing traffic, with all approaches to the station blocked by a huge queue of cars.
John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said officers are having to go to petrol stations to make sure people are 'behaving sensibly'. He said: 'People are panic buying fuel and this is putting a strain on policing in a number of ways.
'Police officers are having to attend petrol stations to ensure people are behaving sensibly. They also must get to and from their place of work, and this is being increasingly inhibited as they struggle to fuel vehicles.
'The government needs to give urgent consideration as to how my colleagues and other emergency workers can get the fuel they need to travel to work and do their job.'
It came as Halfords revealed the sale of jerry cans went up 1,656 per cent over the weekend, and one driver was filmed filling water bottles with petrol.
Gavin Rabbitt stopped at Shell garage in Cobham Services on the M25 yesterday and sat in disbelief as he watched a woman empty two 1.5litre water bottles and then fill them up with fuel - seemingly unaware the bottle could explode, or melt, because it is not a vessel to legally carry petrol.
Mr Rabbitt, from Tonbridge, Kent, who filmed the woman seemingly filling up water bottles with petrol, said: 'I thought ''I can't believe the stupidity of this woman''. This is the kind of thing that causes the problem. People filling up things they shouldn't be filling up and no one else can get the fuel because of other people's stupidity. The queue was all the way down the slip road. We were queuing for about 20 to 30 minutes. She was all blasé and doing it right in front of me. It's ludicrous.'
Britain's biggest petrol retailers have said they expect the crisis to ease in the next three days because once people have a full tank, demand for fuel is likely to fall away by Thursday or Friday. And Downing Street again denied there is a shortage of fuel, saying there are 'ample stocks in this country'.
But claims that the crisis will be over this week has been questioned by drivers. One said; 'If there was a delivery driver shortage last week, causing some stations to run out, how will that be miraculously resolved by the middle of this week? Some garages around London were out of fuel even before panic buying kicked in'. Another wrote: 'It's hard to rebuild confidence again when this kind of thing starts. People will just keeping topping up their cars and never let them go below a quarter for a long time'.
The U-turn on calling in the Army was rapid. Environment Secretary George Eustice said yesterday the Government has 'no plans at the moment' to use soldiers to drive petrol tankers amid continuing shortages at filling stations. He said: 'We've no plans at the moment to bring in the Army to actually do the driving, but we always have a Civil Contingencies section within the Army on standby - but we're not jumping to that necessarily at the moment.' That all changed later on,
The British Medical Association (BMA) called for healthcare staff and essential workers to be given priority to access fuel, warning that as pumps run dry 'there is a real risk that NHS staff won't be able to do their jobs'.
Drivers queued for four hours or more in lines stretching for miles and some even slept in their cars outside petrol stations.
Electrician Roland McKibbin, 31, from Beckenham, south-east London, said he would only be able to reach one of his jobs on Monday having been unable to fill up his tank, despite visiting four petrol stations. He said: 'So, basically, the panic-buying idiots have lost me income, and directly taken food off the table for my wife and five-year old son, because I can't wire people's houses from home, unfortunately. I wasted about 15 miles of fuel looking - in the end I had to turn back as I was on fumes.'
A woman fills empty plastic water bottles with fuel on the M25 at Cobham as panic buying continues with queues predicted for the rest of the week
Police had been called to a rural garage near Burnaston, Derbyshire, today following reports of queues of traffic in the local area. Arriving at the unmanned petrol station, officers observed long queues of cars attempting to enter the petrol station
Cars refueling at a BP service station in Wetherby near Leeds, after long waits for fuel again yesterday
The half mile queue from the A14 at Cambridge Services as people scramble to buy fuel at the Shell petrol station on Monday lunchtime
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