Petrol stations in Sunderland and South Tyneside quiet as Government’s reserve tanker fleet aims to boost deliveries

It comes as petrol stations across Sunderland and South Tyneside appeared to be quiet on Wednesday, September 29 – with some showing no issues at all.

In Sunderland, there were no issues at the Shell garage in Easington, Dalton Park Morrisons and Applegreen Harbour View was even receiving a restock on fuel.

The BP garage on Wessington Way however had no fuel, with its counterpart in Jarrow only having a limited supply.

In South Tyneside, Boldon Asda and the Esso garage at the Town Hall were reporting no issues however Shell on Boldon Lane, Esso in Simonside and Jet at Cleadon all had limited fuel.

The Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has said the Government’s reserve tanker fleet will be “on the road” to boost deliveries.

He tweeted: “I can confirm the Government’s reserve tanker fleet will be on the road this afternoon to boost deliveries of fuel to forecourts across Britain.

“The trucks are driven by civilians and will provide additional logistical capacity to the fuel industry.

“We are now seeing signs that the situation at the pumps has begun to improve with more stations getting more fuel.

“The sooner we can all return to our normal buying habits, the sooner the situation will return to normal.”

Executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), Gordon Balmer, revealed that the crisis is “easing” and will continue to do so over the next 24 hours.

He commented: “There are encouraging signs that the crisis at the pumps is easing, with forecourts reporting that they are taking further deliveries of fuel.

“Only 27% of PRA members have reported being out of fuel today, and with regular restocks taking place, we are expecting to see the easing to continue over the next 24 hours.

“However, we are extremely disappointed to hear many forecourt staff are experiencing a high level of both verbal and physical abuse, which is completely unacceptable.

“Forecourts are trying their best to manage queues and ensure there is plenty of fuel to go around.

“We would urge the public to remember that fuel stocks remain normal at refineries and terminals, and deliveries have been reduced solely due to the shortage of HGV drivers.”

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