The number of petrol stations closed because of fuel shortages has halved in the space of four days in tentative signs the crisis is easing, a government minister has said.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said the situation is “moving in the right direction” a week after the crisis was sparked by the leaking of a confidential document.
He said there were little more than a quarter of sites empty of fuel on Wednesday, down from 60 per cent over the weekend.
However, many stations across the country were empty on Thursday morning as they awaited their next fuel delivery after running dry.
Drivers continued to queue to fill up their tanks at stations that had fuel after days of panic buying.
Mr Clarke was pressed on the government’s muddled response to the crisis after ministers had planned to use soldiers to drive tankers before taking a step back from the plan.
He said military personnel were “on standby” and would be called upon if needed.
He also said fuel deliveries were on the increase, after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement that 80 government-owned tanks had been used.
“We’re in a situation now where there is more fuel being delivered to petrol stations than is being sold, which is great,” Mr Clark told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“The army is on standby to help support the commercial operations and, of course, we’ve seen some changes, including, notably, allowing some MoD driving instructors to help boost the number of tankers,” he said.
“There’re 150 drivers on standby to help support operations as required.
“This is designed to help buttress the commercial operation, which is driving down the pressures that we’ve seen on forecourts.
“We are confident that things will normalise really quickly if we can just avoid the panic buying, which has exacerbated the situation very severely,” he said.
He refuted the claim that Brexit has led to shortages of qualified HGV drivers in the UK.
He said any claim that Brexit is to blame is an attempt to revert to a “negative conversation about opportunities foregone”.
He pointed out that the EU countries are also experiencing shortages of lorry drivers.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the panic buying must stop and offered hope to drivers with the latest figures.
“We are in a situation where the data is clearer on this, over the weekend 60 per cent of petrol stations were out of fuel – that was down to 27 pe rcent as of yesterday [so] the numbers are really moving in the right direction,” he said.
The government-owned fuel tankers were due to be on the roads by Wednesday afternoon to restock pumps that had run dry.
“The trucks are driven by civilians and will provide additional logistical capacity to the fuel industry,” Mr Kwarteng said.
His announcement came as the Petrol Retailers Association said that about 27 per cent of its members’ sites had run dry on Wednesday.
This figure was down from 37 per cent on Tuesday and the estimated 50 per cent to 90 per cent of stations on Sunday and Monday.
The body represents the independent retailers that make up about two thirds of the UK’s 8,000 petrol stations.
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MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
