Why are people scrambling for petrol?

silverwhistle

molerat said:

jimjames said:

Because the lack of HGV drivers is a direct consequence of government policy

Which UK government policy is causing the shortage of HGV drivers in mainland Europe ?

Brexit. Firstly other richer EU countries can recruit from the poorer ones (where it is also cheaper to gain the licence), and secondly they have cabotage rights so that it is easy for cross border drivers to deliver their goods and then pick up return loads, which may be just for a leg of the return journey and can be within the country in which they delivered. They won't be held up at any borders either.

Oh yes, thirdly, and not sure the extent (but everything helps at the moment), some EU drivers would come over here for the weekend due to the widespread weekend ban on HGVs in many EU countries.

[Deleted User]

The government said there was no shortage. The government lies all the time so people assumed there was a shortage.

It's so bad people have got used to doing the opposite to what the government tells them to, after a million lies and some terrible COVID advice.

venomx

I like how the media say " Panic buying is to blame "
I'd argue, the media is to blame

Ditzy_Mitzy

I filled up last Friday, on the basis that the news was bad and I needed to fill the tank.  Since then I've bought petrol once.  I haven't encountered any queues, although on both occasions the filling stations were busier than usual.  The second one had run out of ordinary unleaded, so I had to buy super but tend to anyway so that wasn't much of anything.
This is a media creation, rather than anything to do with Brexit or Government policy.

tr7phil

I've been in two queues for petrol.  The first on Monday filling up my daughter's almost empty tank after having given her a lift to work in my car, that took an hour and a half but wasn't without entertainment, when the police were called due to someone in the queue deliberately running over a staff member!  The second was yesterday when I took my classic car to fill up ready for a trip up to the midlands at the weekend, there was only super unleaded available then (which was what I wanted anyway).  The woman in front of me at the pump was putting it into her diesel Mercedes, she'll probably get away with it though as she's only put about 6 litres in!  My weekend trip has now been cancelled due to the fuel situation so I needn't have bothered, still it only took 45 minutes that time.

Jenni_D

I was at my local Sainsburys this morning (needed milk) and noticed that the filling station was open - looked like only the diesel pumps were available though (I wasn't close enough to see if any SU pumps were available - certainly all the "green" pumps appeared to be blocked off).

Thesaltmustflow

I went to one station which had no unleaded but had diesel then another one close by which had unleaded but no diesel. Having one car that runs on diesel and the other which runs on petrol there were no dramas. Things seem to be calming down now from what I can see passing the half dozen stations close to me.

ontheroad1970

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I filled up last Friday, on the basis that the news was bad and I needed to fill the tank.  Since then I've bought petrol once.  I haven't encountered any queues, although on both occasions the filling stations were busier than usual.  The second one had run out of ordinary unleaded, so I had to buy super but tend to anyway so that wasn't much of anything.
This is a media creation, rather than anything to do with Brexit or Government policy.

Brexit is partly a factor in the shortage of drivers - even a hard Remainer like myself would not argue that it is the only reason - (an aside, not aimed at anyone here - it's interesting that Brexit supporters are fond of the term 'remoaner' but take offence at the respelling of Brexiter with an added sh), but it is definitely a factor.  

As to the panic buying situation, two things sparked it.  The Government telling people not to panic - and this government is like Corporal Jones so people treat it with that kind of 'respect'.  The government should not use the word 'panic'. It was the use of the word, and then papers like the Sun, "Running Dry" headline.

ComicGeek

ontheroad1970 said:

As to the panic buying situation, two things sparked it.  The Government telling people not to panic - and this government is like Corporal Jones so people treat it with that kind of 'respect'.  The government should not use the word 'panic'. It was the use of the word, and then papers like the Sun, "Running Dry" headline.

For me, that's the equivalent of the police screaming 'calm down' at people while wrestling them to the floor. Anyone with any common sense and/or a toddler knows that's never going to end well....

jimjames

[Deleted User] said:

The government said there was no shortage. The government lies all the time so people assumed there was a shortage.

It's so bad people have got used to doing the opposite to what the government tells them to, after a million lies and some terrible COVID advice.

On the one hand the government said there was no shortage at refineries yet BP and others had said they were struggling to keep petrol stations fully stocked and there is a known shortage of drivers. Not much use having supplies in a central location if you can't get them where they are needed