Army deliver supplies to filling stations hit by fuel crisis in South East
Watch the video report by ITV Meridian's Andy Dickenson
The army is being used to deliver supplies to filling stations hit by the fuel crisis in the South East.
Parts of Kent, Sussex and London have seen forecourts either shut or busy with queuing drivers. Although there are signs the petrol is starting to be re-stocked, campaign groups have questioned why it took so long.
Drivers have also reported that prices have risen for both petrol and diesel, far above that for the crude oil price.
David Charman has been a garage owner in West Malling for 25 years but said he has never known a situation like this. His pumps are currently empty and although he's been trying to reserve the residue for key workers, even that has proved impossible.
He said: "We've been struggling to control the people who have been coming to the site. We've had very little fuel to sell and we've had to manage that very very carefully.
"Now we're seeing people who have put off buying it and they are stuck at home with no fuel and just desperate to get back onto the road. We've had to help customers and push them into the petrol station because they are that low on fuel."
David Charman, Garage owner:
Rishi Sunak MP Chancellor said the "situation is definitely improving" and that panic buying remains the cause of the disruption.
He said: "There is no shortage of fuel at our refineries and our terminals. What we have seen is a very rapid demand strike which has caused some of the disruptions that we are experiencing. And I think every single day of the last week we've had more fuel delivered than was taken out at petrol stations with more people getting fuel and more delivered as well."
Howard Cox Fair Fuel UK said the intervention from the army is a week too late.
He said: "We called on the Government last week to actually stop the virtue signalling and actually implement them [the army]. Unfortunately, fuel prices are going up in the blink of an eye when people are queuing even."