MALTHOUSE SAYS FUEL SHORTAGES COULD CONTINUE ANOTHER " WEEK OR MORE"
A government minister has warned that motorcycles could face another "week" of long queues at filling stations as demand for petrol is strong. Police Secretary Kit Malthouse said the situation needed to be "improved" in the coming days and that Boris Johnson was ready to take stock of the situation.
His criticism of other ministers' comments in recent days contradicts the idea that resuming driver-buying routines will speed things up. This comes after the Petrol Retailers Association warned that refueling stations were running out of fuel, which could be refilled, and that one in four forks was dry. Malthouse told BBC Radio 4 Today: "We are still seeing strong demand around fuel in some parts of the country. The distribution system is trying to respond to this unprecedented demand.
"My latest briefing is that the situation is stabilizing, that we are seeing more forecasts with more fuel supplies and hope that the supply-demand balance will improve in the next few days, weeks, or more. Will goI think if the situation worsens, it is clear that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary in charge will have to review the situation.
His comments came just 24 hours after another minister - Simon Clark - chief secretary of finance - claimed the situation was under control. Earlier this week, Johnson refused to give priority to fueling healthcare staff because it was unnecessary because the situation was "stable."However, Malthouse said there are "pockets" in the country where there are still problems - London and the Southeast have been hardest hit.
He said efforts were being made to balance the situation with areas where supply was strong but indicated that they were limited by the number of tankers available."We need to see stability and improvement in the next few days," he said."Obviously, there are only enough tankers that can be used to transport fuel. They are doing their best as soon as possible."There is no coordination across the country where there are pockets of supply and demand and efforts are being made to balance the two."
On Wednesday, Business Secretary Kosi announced that the government was sending a fleet of reserve tankers driven by civilian drivers to help distributors. However, 150 military drivers have not yet been deployed and have been on standby since the beginning of the week to assist in the operation. Malthouse's comments raise the possibility that Johnson will attend the Conservatives' annual party conference - which begins in Manchester this weekend - and the matter is still pending with the government.
The crisis began after reports that a shortage of tanker drivers shut down several BP stations, triggering a wave of panic that has yet to subside.
For more updates...
No comments:
Post a Comment