Petrol queues reported now on BBC news

I know this won't be popular, but....

There are the same number of drivers as there were last month, when everything was hunky dory.

So what's changed? Oh yes, the p-word.

Alegrias1

I know this won't be popular, but....

There are the same number of drivers as there were last month, when everything was hunky dory.

So what's changed? Oh yes, the p-word.

Look for a wall to bang your head against…

Same amount of drivers as 8+ days ago, there is no shortage of fuel, just panicked people whipped up by social media and MSM.

How many cars fuelled to the brim sat on drives/in garages not going anywhere?

I don’t know why I continue to post on this thread?

Everything was not hunky dory last month. It's just that most people were still unaware of it, but that was bound to change sooner or later.

Were there people fighting on the forecourts last month? Were there key workers worried that they wouldn't get to work? Were there hundreds of petrol stations closed because everyone decided to fill up at the same time?

While I am in no way denying the reduction in ADR drivers and the fact that the government are responsible, why is it that parts of the country are operating as normal and others are fighting on the streets?

Now I know someone will come along and tell me that the government aren't responsible....

Alegrias1

Were there people fighting on the forecourts last month? Were there key workers worried that they wouldn't get to work? Were there hundreds of petrol stations closed because everyone decided to fill up at the same time?

While I am in no way denying the reduction in ADR drivers and the fact that the government are responsible, why is it that parts of the country are operating as normal and others are fighting on the streets?

In answer to the first sentence: No, no and no - because as I said, most people were still totally unaware of the situation, but that wouldn't have continued much longer, even if the mainstream media hadn't reported it, as it was starting to become obvious that fuel supplies weren't as they should be. What happened was going to happen sooner or (not much) later, IMO

Last sentence: I've no idea. It's an interesting question, and I would be interested to know the answer.

I guess we'll see in the next few days MamaCaz.

If things do get back to normal over the next few days- as they seem to have in large parts of the country - I hope there will be some questions asked about how the forecourt situation got the way it did.

Kali2

Young friends has just left to drive over to UK to see her dad, widowed recently, and his mum, recently diagnosed with terminal stage cancer. They will fill up before crossing Channel and keep travelling to minimum, but with 2 young children in tow, the worries about petrol are really making the stress so much more acute.

She should not have problems Kali2 - things are returning to very much more like normal

MamaCaz

Everything was not hunky dory last month. It's just that most people were still unaware of it, but that was bound to change sooner or later.

It certainly wasn't hunky dory in my supermarket deliveries last month, but never mind, apparently everything was just fine in some parts of the same county, so that's OK then - those of claiming there were gaps on the shelves were just making it all up.

We've moved on from gaps on shelves, which are clearly there.

We've moved on to mass panic buying of fuel, which I know I'm not supposed to mention, but there you go.

Unlike others we didnt rush out for petrol but waited until we actually needed some. Drove straight in large petrol station at 10 am no queues in and out in minutes.

Alegrias1

We've moved on from gaps on shelves, which are clearly there.

We've moved on to mass panic buying of fuel, which I know I'm not supposed to mention, but there you go.

And as I've written repeatedly, I wasn't panic buying last week when the first three petrol stations I visited were closed. The news hadn't even broken then. They didn't have any fuel because they hadn't had their normal deliveries, not because everybody was panic buying. The local petrol stations are still not getting their normal deliveries.

It seems the DfT thinks there are shortages of HGV drivers. It's sent this letter to people on their list with an HGV license.

Unfortunately, the people in the link on the letter don't know anything about grants or opportunities. Not only that, but the letter has been sent to ambulance drivers and paramedics and others already employed. If they give up their normal job, who's going to drive the ambulances? It doesn't seem to have been thought through very carefully ... but then, if there isn't a problem anyway, why has the DfT sent the letter?

I know you weren't growstuff. I'm not suggesting everybody was. But there was certainly a significant degree of panic buying and that has made that situation much worse than it needs to be.

I don't know why anybody says otherwise. I can't remember the exact figures but what about that garage who sold something like 3 or 4 times its usual amount of fuel in one day. The drivers in Derby who queued outside a petrol station that had been closed for repairs since before the queues started. Its not normal buying patterns or anything like it.

The DfT has also sent letters to holders of German licences living in the UK because older German car licences gave people eligibility to drive vans. The DfT doesn't sound desperate at all.

growstuff

It seems the DfT thinks there are shortages of HGV drivers. It's sent this letter to people on their list with an HGV license.

Unfortunately, the people in the link on the letter don't know anything about grants or opportunities. Not only that, but the letter has been sent to ambulance drivers and paramedics and others already employed. If they give up their normal job, who's going to drive the ambulances? It doesn't seem to have been thought through very carefully ... but then, if there isn't a problem anyway, why has the DfT sent the letter?

Of course there's a shortage of drivers. Nobody sensible is saying there isn't. Actually even the Tories aren't saying there isn't.

Sheesh.

I do wish people who want to tell us how there is no problem in their area would say where they live. A cousin in Leeds says all stations open, no queues, no problem. He'd like to visit family in London, but wouldn't stand a chance of guaranteeing being able to refuel. I've not been able to get fuel since the start, no local garages have any stock. I'm on the red, so daren't go anywhere unless I'm virtually guaranteed to be able to buy some fuel.
I heard a conspiracy theory that supplies are being prioritised to the 'red wall areas' in the hope the Tories can keep votes in those areas. I don't normally give conspiracy theories the light of day but could it explain regional variations? Certainly something is going wrong with the distribution that needs sorting out.

Alegrias I'm not denying that panic buying exacerbated the problem, but the fact is that there was a shortage of fuel at the forecourts (no matter how many times people bleated "there are no shortages") and anybody with any sense would have ensured they had enough fuel to get them to work the next day. People cannot be "blamed" for having little confidence in supply and availability.

Rosie51 Try Thorpe Bay!

Seriously, I don't think that theory holds up. I live in a true blue Conservative constituency and I understand there are still dire shortages.

Rosie51

I do wish people who want to tell us how there is no problem in their area would say where they live. A cousin in Leeds says all stations open, no queues, no problem. He'd like to visit family in London, but wouldn't stand a chance of guaranteeing being able to refuel. I've not been able to get fuel since the start, no local garages have any stock. I'm on the red, so daren't go anywhere unless I'm virtually guaranteed to be able to buy some fuel.
I heard a conspiracy theory that supplies are being prioritised to the 'red wall areas' in the hope the Tories can keep votes in those areas. I don't normally give conspiracy theories the light of day but could it explain regional variations? Certainly something is going wrong with the distribution that needs sorting out.

All petrol stations that I'm aware of in Scotland are operating fine. If they think that's going to win us over, they're in for a big disappointment

growstuff

Alegrias I'm not denying that panic buying exacerbated the problem, but the fact is that there was a shortage of fuel at the forecourts (no matter how many times people bleated "there are no shortages") and anybody with any sense would have ensured they had enough fuel to get them to work the next day. People cannot be "blamed" for having little confidence in supply and availability.

I don't disagree that people wanted to make sure that they could make essential journeys, but I'm afraid I do place some responsibility at the feet of people who went out to get some "just in case". Or the woman on the news reported as putting £1.60 worth of petrol in her tank.

growstuff

Rosie51 Try Thorpe Bay!

Seriously, I don't think that theory holds up. I live in a true blue Conservative constituency and I understand there are still dire shortages.

You do seem rather obsessed by Thorpe Bay, are you looking to move there?

growstuff

Rosie51 Try Thorpe Bay!

Seriously, I don't think that theory holds up. I live in a true blue Conservative constituency and I understand there are still dire shortages.

They're not bothered about True Blue tories; they know that most of them would vote for a donkey with a blue rosette.

I'm in a red wall constituency and after the initial madness we've few problems up here. (Which is lucky for me because our very local garage chose this week to shut for a 10 day refurbishment...)

I sympathise with your cousin. My son is due to go back to university. My ex husband is supposed to be taking him, but it involves a 600 mile round trip and he's in two minds whether to delay it. My son is anxious to get back to uni, having already been forced to be online for the last 18 months. He's considering spending an astronomical amount on returning by train and taxi, but that means he won't be able to take his computers, kitchen equipment and most of his books and clothes with him.

growstuff

Rosie51 Try Thorpe Bay!

Seriously, I don't think that theory holds up. I live in a true blue Conservative constituency and I understand there are still dire shortages.

growstuff I think that's the point, true blue areas will be thought to be safe and not need the 'protection' London is largely labour so wouldn't count. Do you think if I write to Boris and say I'll vote Tory next time he'll divert a tanker or two to my area ?