UK petrol stations show ‘very tentative signs of stabilisation’, says transport secretary – business live | Business

Petrol retailers have warned that ‘panic buying’ of petrol is continuing today, with some filling stations still dry and others seeing heavy queues.

The chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), Brian Madderson, told the Today Programme that social media is helping people track down where fuel is available.

Madderson says:

“Disappointingly the messages I’m getting this morning from our retailers are that panic buying does continue.

One of the reasons for this is social media. As soon as the tanker arrives at a filling station people on social media are advising that a tanker has arrived and then it’s like bees to a honeypot.

“Everyone flocks there and within a few hours it is out again.”

Q: But it’s not panic buying if you have a job to do, a sick or elderly relative to care for, or must get the family shopping in, is it? That’s entirely rational.

Madderson says people are panic buying by filling their tanks to the brim. Normally, the average ‘fill’ is about £25 – but petrol stations have seen fills over £100.

Q – So why not bring in £30 limits? (as EG Group has done at its petrol stations)

Madderson says this can be confrontational for staff, who have to decide if someone has genuine need for more than £30.

Q: Have you discussed with the government the possibility of a special initiative to allow essential workers to get access to petrol? (as groups such as the British Medical Association have called for)

Madderson says that under the national emergency plan for fuel, around 50% of sites are Designated Fuel Stations (DFS) for emergency workers.

But he argues that this is also a “very complex situation” for forecourt staff, who would have to decide who is an emergency worker and who isn’t, and what sort of credentials they need to present.

It’s a last resort situation, and hopefully we’re not there yet.

The government’s national emergency plan (online here) says that in the event of a severe national fuel supply shortage, emergency and critical service vehicles would be given priority access to road fuel from filling stations.

University Hospitals Birmingham’s fuel plan (online here) explains that essential users are identified by vehicle type and agency logos, while temporary logos would be available for essential health workers who don’t have a logoed vehicle, such as GPs, community nurses and midwifes.