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Fuel Shortage

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Maydup | 14:41 Thu 15th Jul 2021 | Motoring
17 Answers
Is there one?

I’ve just been to the local garage, they have none. I went on to the big out of town supermarket, petrol station closed off. Started to feel anxious when the next supermarket was the same and finally found a small filling station where all but two pumps were out of action but I filled up. Phew
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There appeared to be some at Morrisons here this morning.
I bought fuel in Tesco today and there was no queue or pumps closed. Wished filled up now though
I suspect that there's not a shortage of fuel, per se, but a shortage of lorry drivers in your area to deliver it to filling stations.

Brexit resulted in many lorry drivers from the EU returning to their home countries. Covid meant that 25,000 fewer people passed HGV driving tests last year than in a 'normal' year. Those and other factors mean that there are now 100,000 fewer drivers than are needed to keep our freight and fuel deliveries operating as they should:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57810729

We should all expect short-term shortages of everything from fuel for our cars to food for our bellies for the next few years.
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Most likely the shortage of drivers is beginning to have an effect, but it was really alarming to find no fuel at neither of the major supermarkets nor the local garages. Surely they're not all supplied by the same tankers? We are way out east and no doubt the priority is to supply the cities and ports, plus we have hoards of extra visitors this year all running on empty by the time they reach us.
>>> Surely they're not all supplied by the same tankers?

Back in my trade plating days (delivering cars across the country), I hitched a lift from a tanker driver. At that time there was a lot of debate as to whether supermarket fuels were as good as those from other filling stations. He said it had to be, as he delivered exactly the same fuels to all of the big supermarkets, plus, Shell, BP, Esso, Jet (etc) garages.

There are actually only a very small number of fuel depots in the country, with each of them supplying nearly all of the filling stations within a fairly large region. So, when one filling station runs dry for some reason, it's not unusual for other filling stations in the area to have similar problems, even though their fuels are all branded differently.
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ah, that explains it then. thanks
I've certainly noticed the price increase. Each week when I drive into town it seems to have gone up a couple of pence - yesterday I paid £1.33 per litre, a far cry from when it was (briefly) 99p at the height of Covid last year.

When I bought my Saab several years ago, the woman I bought it from - who had looked after it really well - told me 'don't buy your petrol at Tesco' This seems to be some sort of urban myth, and, as Chris says above, there's no difference, and it's where I got my petrol yesterday!
Just to add..last Friday at a gigantic ASDA/Walmart store (a good hour from home) there were very long queues at the pumps.
This morning at a smaller ASDA just 20 minutes from home, the forecourt was closed off and no prices were displayed (I was told that the petrol station "wasn't working"!). At an Esso station even nearer home, I filled up with unleaded at £1.42.9 per litre! Be warned!
I seem to recall watching a programme about a fuel depot .

It confirmed that all the tankers delivering to the various petrol stations got the fuel from a single / same point at the depot .

However depending on which station/ company it was delivering to the tankers then went to a separate point to get 'additives ' included into the load .

But the fuel before additives was the same for Texaco , shell , Tesco etc
that's right, Bazile, Morrison's add baccy to theirs, Waitrose just add caviar.
Further to my Tues 15.21 post...my early morning walk today took me passed a BP station with just one pump available (all the others "not in use") and a rather long queue waiting for it.
plenty of V-Power!
My assumption (= guess) above appears to be correct:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57912922
As usual Chris, succinct, and on the ball.
I haven't noticed any queues or heard about shortages in this area but harking back to the budget in March, the chancellor said there would be no increase in fuel duty. Since then, the price has risen by 1p per litre each week. It's the motorist that will bear the brunt of the losses being incurred by the fuel companies, due to the reduction in the number of flights.
Is this another example of Brexit catching up with the UK.
As I said yesterday, I paid £1:42.9 per litre yesterday....because there was no alternative.

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