The government says a lack of tanker drivers to deliver fuel and unprecedented demand is behind the crisis.
LONDON - Desperate motorists queued up at fuel pumps across Britain on Monday, draining tanks, fraying tempers and prompting calls for the government to use emergency powers to give priority access to healthcare and other essential workers.
"People are desperate. If I don't get petrol now, I can't get work anymore today," one driver, David Hart, told AFP as he queued at a garage in London after a fruitless search at the weekend. Medical bodies have already said some healthcare staff have struggled to get to work, while schools have warned that online teaching could resume if teachers are unable to reach their classrooms.
As well as fuel deliveries, the shortage has led to empty supermarket shelves and raised fears about deliveries of food and toys for Christmas. "As a responsible government, we are taking the preparatory steps necessary should further measures be needed," he told reporters.The government, which campaigned during Brexit for an end to European free movement, is banking on a short-term visa waiver to plug the gap in drivers, which it says is a Europe-wide problem.
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