Fuel crisis deepens in the UK

The Association of Oil Retailers warned on Sunday night that now 50% to 85% of service stations in the UK (excluding motorways and supermarkets) have run out of fuel.

The problem is created by the panic purchases of thousands of drivers, who form queues with their vehicles outside the gas stations since Friday, when some companies announced that there are not enough tanker drivers to refuel all the gas stations.

According to the President of the Association, what started as a manageable problem of fuel shortages in a few specific gas stations, has now taken on dimensions due to the panic markets.

Some gas station owners have reported an increase in demand of up to 500% in the past three days, with the result that more and more gas station chains are imposing a. 30 ceiling on the fuel market per driver.

The government announced Sunday that it is making 5,000 three-month work visas available to tanker and truck drivers from abroad.

A three-month work visa was also approved for 5,500 workers in the poultry industry, due to concerns about the adequacy of turkey for Christmas.

The Association of Fresh Turkey Traditional Farm reported that orders for traditional Christmas poultry have even increased by 400% on some farms already, well earlier than the usual holiday order period.

Increased demand stems from concerns about the adequacy of the supply chain ahead of Christmas, due to shortages of drivers and workers in agricultural structures.

The British Retail Consortium has again warned that there will be limited availability and variety of different products in supermarkets this Christmas, as well as possibly limited shelf life of the products that will be displayed on the shelves.

On the fuel issue, the government has decided to suspend competition law to allow oil companies to exchange information on faster refueling at empty stations.

Letters will also reach hundreds of thousands of holders of heavy-duty vehicles in an effort to persuade them to return to the profession.

At the same time, in order to make more examinations of new drivers faster, they will be used by the government as examiners military military trainers.

According to the Guardian and the Times, within Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the relevant Ministers will consider the possibility of activating "Operation Escalin", which provided for the deployment of troops at the helm of 80 tankers in the event of a Brexit without agreement. with the EU.