Drivers urged not to panic buy as Halifax petrol stations report twice as many customers as usual

A lorry driver shortage has caused a “handful” of BP filling stations to shut because of a lack of fuel, and Esso owner ExxonMobil also said a “small number” of its Tesco Alliance petrol forecourts have been impacted.

Two petrol stations in Halifax have told the Courier that they have seen twice as many customers as usual today and there have been reports on social media of queues at garages in other parts of the borough.

None of the petrol stations that we spoke to were short of fuel.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told the BBC that refineries have "plenty of petrol".

He said Government could bring in the army to drive fuel tankers if it would help.

Rod McKenzie of the Road Haulage Association trade body told BBC Newsnight: “We have got a shortage of 100,000 (drivers).

“When you think that everything we get in Britain comes on the back of a lorry – whether it’s fuel or food or clothes or whatever it is – at some point, if there are no drivers to drive those trucks, the trucks aren’t moving and we’re not getting our stuff.”

Mr McKenzie added: “I don’t think we are talking about absolutely no fuel or food or anything like that, people shouldn’t panic buy food or fuel or anything else, that’s not what this is about.

“This is about stock outs, it’s about shortages, it’s about a normal supply chain being disrupted.”