The fuel shortage in the UK is so bad the military has been called in to help.
About 200 soldiers are set to start delivering gas to station pumps all over Great Britain Monday after getting a crash course in truck driving, the Sun reported Saturday.
The move comes after a week of chaos that saw panic-buying, fights at the pumps and drivers hoarding gas in water bottles, Reuters reported.
An acute shortage of truck drivers has strained supply chains to breaking point.
Gas station have been charging up to $4 a liter, more than double the normal price, but are still selling out to drivers desperate for fuel. Pumps all over the country are emptied by consumers within hours, according to the Sun.
The gas crisis is exceptionally bad in London and the South East, according to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA).
Drivers began lining up in long lines outside gas stations as early as 1 a.m. every day last week, according to UK news reports.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid called for calm, saying the fuel situation is “stabilizing” in most parts of the country, and the military is being deployed as a “precaution.”
But the shortages are getting worse in other parts of the region, warned PRA Chairman Brian Madderson.
“This isn’t going to be the major panacea,” he said. “It’s a large help but in terms of the volume, they are not going to be able to carry that much.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak also warned that shortages of goods could continue until Christmas, adding there are “real disruptions in supply chains.”
