[News] There's no need to panic buy petrol

[jakarta]

It's been clear for a while now from the empty shelves in our supermarkets that something is seriously wrong and I reckon that has exacerbated the fuel crisis.

Ironic that people voting against Corbyn has brought Soviet scenes to our shops and streets.

I can't agree with this one, maybe because of the relative affluence of RH20 the supermarkets are concentrating on this sort of area? No empty shelves in either Sainsbury's or Waitrose, or even the local Tesco and Costco. Do you live in Middlesborough and think you live in Brighton perchance?

 

[Justice]

are you seeing empty shelves though? shopping this morning and nothing short, execpt loose carrots, bagged only.

The supermarkets have offered the tanker drivers more money and they left the fuel business. As said by a tanker driver.

 

[pocketseagull]

Nope, this is my experience from St James Street Morrisons and London Road Aldi.

 

[Wardy's twin]

What’s weird is that of the 6m plus EU citizens that decided to apply for residency in the U.K. post BREXIT, it appears none of them were HGV drivers because they all left.

https://www.newsweek.com/britain-re...tizens-seeking-remain-uk-after-brexit-1606407

It’s not like they went to Belgium?

https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgi...00-lorry-drivers-to-keep-shop-shelves-filled/

Neither have they moved to europe to create a surplus of drivers in the EU.

https://www.politico.eu/article/europes-looming-truck-driver-shortage-trucker-haulier-brexit-hgv/

They must be somewhere…………in a convoy no doubt, looking out for Bears. On the plus side with less truck drivers about we should expect the murder rate of prostitutes to drop. So it’s not all bad news.

Maybe the issue is that the HGV drivers like a lot of the crop pickers and hospitality workers were more temporary and that with COVID they just can't or don't want to come back especially to a place that has made them unwelcome. The 6 million who have applied might have other reasons to stay like they have been here for 40 years or married to a British Citizen.

The issue appears to have been brewing for 10 years given the details in this and other threads., plenty of time to fix it. Don't know enough about the Belgium problem , maybe them like us have been too dependent on foreign drivers.

 

[Bry Nylon]

The North/South divide that has been referred to on here was very apparent when we drove down last night. Plenty of petrol and no queues as far and including the M6 toll. Thereafter on the M40 just closed petrol stations or signs saying ‘diesel only.’ M25 and M3 the same. We have three quarters of a tank to get to Brighton and then as far north as we can get tomorrow morning.

I reckon you’ll be fine. Drove into Hertfordshire this morning as my son’s team had an away match and passed plenty of fuel stations all offering all grades / types of fuel and no queues.

 

[Weststander]

Looks like loads of drivers are making journeys just to check out all the fuel stations, counter intuitively emptying their car fuel tanks.

On a groceries shopping trip this afternoon, dozens of cars were driving up to the Shell OSR/Goldstone and then doing a u-turn, a similar story at Sainsbury’s West Hove with a relentless stream of cars entering then immediately exiting.

Wonder if it’s a like-minded?:



What a way to spend a weekend.

 

[Justice]

Reports now of 2.93 a litre

 

[GT49er]

No problem here. I went to my local Morrison's this afternoon for a few bits of food shopping. Looked at the fuel section as I drove in. Two of the pumps cordoned off, but the other eight all working, and no queue at all - in fact I had four pumps to choose from! Had a bit less than half a tankfull - so I thought, why not?

 

[FloatLeft]

Does anyone know of any garage's with Diesel in the Lewes area

 

[knocky1]

Reports now of 2.93 a litre

Not bad for White Lightening. Things are looking up.

 

[Weststander]

No problem here. I went to my local Morrison's this afternoon for a few bits of food shopping. Looked at the fuel section as I drove in. Two of the pumps cordoned off, but the other eight all working, and no queue at all - in fact I had four pumps to choose from! Had a bit less than half a tankfull - so I thought, why not?

It’s a South, SE, London and East Anglia thing and has been for a few days now.

You can drive past half a dozen stations and every single one is closed bar the shop.

I haven’t seen an open petrol station with fuel in days, the last time I heard of one was the Holmbush Shoreham yesterday morning, open for a couple of hours ….. only because a caller mentioned it in passing on LBC

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Just filled up at Tescos in Lewes. No queues.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

No problem here in Leek both supermarkets plus the two Indies plenty of fuel.No panic buying £20/30 is average for both 4X4 and cars.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I reckon you’ll be fine. Drove into Hertfordshire this morning as my son’s team had an away match and passed plenty of fuel stations all offering all grades / types of fuel and no queues.

Thank you, yes all seems fine now in Sussex as well. Most petrol stations we passed seemed to have fuel.

 

[Simgull]

just getting fuel at Sainsbury at west Hove. Longish but well organised 20 min queue round the carpark

Asda T Hollingury also open at the mo but didn’t fancy queuing on the road

 

[drew]

Sorry if i didn't make it clear enough

There are a reported 100k HGV driver vacancies

Brexit (reportedly) led to around 20k HGV drivers leaving

There are (reportedly) around 40k who are looking to join the industry but haven't been able to yet due to covid (rapidly rising wages and incentives offered helping to attract those willing to join the industry)

The net result, if the pandemic hadn't stopped those waiting to join from being trained up and passing, would still have been that there would still be a shortage of around 80k HGV drivers

Where is it reported that 40k want to join? Have you got a link to that?

 

[cunning fergus]

Maybe the issue is that the HGV drivers like a lot of the crop pickers and hospitality workers were more temporary and that with COVID they just can't or don't want to come back especially to a place that has made them unwelcome. The 6 million who have applied might have other reasons to stay like they have been here for 40 years or married to a British Citizen.

The issue appears to have been brewing for 10 years given the details in this and other threads., plenty of time to fix it. Don't know enough about the Belgium problem , maybe them like us have been too dependent on foreign drivers.

Maybe (like others) you are so desperate to hitch problems to Brexit you lose track of reality. There has not been a mass exodus of workers.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/covid19/202...left-britain-in-2020-doesnt-hold-up/#comments

Have some EU citizens returned since Brexit, yes but statistically the numbers returning since Brexit are less than what left post 2008 when we had the economic shock of Northern Rock and HBOS failing etc. Of those that left how many decided to be with family during the pandemic?

Even on the most aggressive analysis of EU citizens leaving that fact that c6.5m EU citizens (not including the c400k Irish here) applied for residency suggests there is no significant labour shortage……..as always its pay and conditions.

 

[BNthree]

Drove this morning to drop my son off for football and all 5 five petrol stations I passed didn’t have any fuel. Definitely not getting any better.


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[nickbrighton]

It’s a South, SE, London and East Anglia thing and has been for a few days now.

You can drive past half a dozen stations and every single one is closed bar the shop.

I haven’t seen an open petrol station with fuel in days, the last time I heard of one was the Holmbush Shoreham yesterday morning, open for a couple of hours ….. only because a caller mentioned it in passing on LBC

ASDA Hollingbury are only opening at night (from 8pm), so as to avoid gridlocking the whole area. Mr Nickbrighton filled up last night and even got a jerry can for the lodgers fueless works van. My sister (who lives nearby) also went at 1.00am and waited 10 mins and filled up. Husband said after him there were only a few cars (1.30am)

Are other stations doing the same to avoid the massive ballache of blocked roads? that would account for the discrepancy that appears with more rural sites being open, and town sites open at night

 

[PeterOut]

ASDA Hollingbury are only opening at night (from 8pm), so as to avoid gridlocking the whole area. Mr Nickbrighton filled up last night and even got a jerry can for the lodgers fueless works van. My sister (who lives nearby) also went at 1.00am and waited 10 mins and filled up. Husband said after him there were only a few cars (1.30am)

Are other stations doing the same to avoid the massive ballache of blocked roads? that would account for the discrepancy that appears with more rural sites being open, and town sites open at night

I guess that a good number of supermarkets (with attached petrol stations) are doing this. As an example, Sainsburys petrol station at Newhaven are only opening overnight, and closing at 6am. With a shared access to the store and the pumps, it makes sense - why deprive themselves of profitable food sales because shoppers can't get past the petrol queues? In addition, the tailback onto the road will quickly snarl parts of Newhaven up. They are aware that not everybody can get there overnight (e.g. night shift workers), and are trying to come up with a solution for them.

On the other hand, driving both to and from the match yesterday, two out of three stations on Peacehaven coast road were open, with fairly small queues at both. I know the Esso garage there had a max spend of £35 (I topped up - was down to 70 miles range), and petrol only, no diesel. I have no idea regarding the Texaco garage.