United Kingdom: the army will be deployed on Monday to fight fuel shortages – franceinfo

The army comes to the aid of gas stations. Nearly 200 soldiers will be deployed as of Monday in the United Kingdom to ensure fuel deliveries, the British government announced on Friday October 1. Shortages at the pump have been observed since last week in the country, due to the lack of truck drivers and panic shopping by motorists.

These soldiers, “including 100 drivers”, are currently completing a training “to provide temporary support as part of the government’s action to ease pressure on gas stations”, specifies London. According to the executive, “the demand for fuels stabilized during the week”, even if “some parts of the country are still struggling”.

The government has also announced that it will immediately allow up to 300 foreign tanker drivers to work in the UK until the end of March 2022, as part of the granting of thousands of temporary work visas intended to relieve supply chains.

“It is important to stress that there is no national fuel shortage in the UK, and people should continue to buy fuel normally. The sooner we get back to our normal buying habits, the sooner we can. return to normal “, said Enterprise Minister Kwasi Kwarteng.

The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents 65% of UK service stations, says it has seen signs of improvement but believes they are “much too slow”, with 26% of stations still running out of fuel.