Fuel issues not hitting Northumberland's emergency services

Bosses at Northumberland County Council have said that the fuel crisis is not yet affecting its emergency services
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.

Drivers in Northumberland have been urged to “fuel their cars as normal” as the worst of the UK’s fuel crisis appears to recede.

Concerns about petrol stocks saw huge queues forming on some forecourts, with some stations running dry in the face of spiralling demand.

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Bosses at Northumberland County Council however insisted their own services had been unaffected so far, but say they were also watching for the possible impact of any future supply issues.

'Out of Use' signage is pictured on the petrol pumps of a closed fuel filling station. Picture by Adian Dennis, Getty'Out of Use' signage is pictured on the petrol pumps of a closed fuel filling station. Picture by Adian Dennis, Getty
'Out of Use' signage is pictured on the petrol pumps of a closed fuel filling station. Picture by Adian Dennis, Getty

A local authority spokesman said: “As a council we are not experiencing any issues but are monitoring the situation with regards to continuity of council services and impact on our residents.

“We’d also encourage people to fuel their cars as normal so we will be able to return to the normal situation of there being enough fuel for everyone when they need it.”

The county claim it had largely escaped the problems plaguing other parts of the country was echoed by the North East’s police, ambulance and fire services, which all said there had been no impact on their ability to respond to emergencies and other incidents.

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The crisis, blamed on a combination of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of tanker drivers, saw filling stations across the region sell out of fuel.

At one point, the government even put the army on standby to begin making deliveries to ensure supplies could get through.

Comments from the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), an industry lobbying group, had suggested some retailers had seen up to 90 per cent of their forecourts run dry.

But the organisation’s executive director Gordon Balmer now believes there are “early signs” the crisis was being brought under control.

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He said: “Fuel stocks remain normal at refineries and terminals, although deliveries have been reduced due to the shortage of HGV drivers.

“We have conducted a survey of our members this morning and only 37 per cent of forecourts have reported being out of fuel today.

“With regular restocks taking place, this percentage is likely to improve further.”