Page 6 | How long before fuel rationing?

Bettercallsalli · 2026-03-31T14:12:37+00:00

A lot of talk of possible fuel rationing here if this conflict continues. Will Airlines be able to cope? It does seem inevitable now.

Hihellogoodbye · 31/03/2026 22:29

intrepidpanda · 31/03/2026 15:40

Yes. We should be doing essential journeys as far as possible at the moment and reigning in consumption.

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You go ahead love
what a stupid response 🙄

LetsGoFlyAKiteee · 31/03/2026 22:19

Fernticket · 31/03/2026 21:58

Just filled my car up at our local Tesco's ( my tank was very low). Talking to the lady cashier and she told me that they are having fuel deliveries in every day instead of every 2 days as normal. Largely caused by panic buying. She said there was no need for it fuel stocks are Ok.
Stop panic buying people!

That's what happened before though! People on social media would spread word and post pictures of queues and then people would panic and go and fill up and round and round it went for a while until eventually people stopped posting and it calmed down.

shuggles · 31/03/2026 22:17

TeethAreImportant · 31/03/2026 21:25

Putting a highlight flammable liquid in open plastic bags, lined or not, in the boot of your car, is the very opposite of clever. In fact, I think it would get her a Darwin Award nomination at the very least. Anybody lights a cigarette near her car for the next 2 months and they might not live to tell the tale.

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If she actually used plastic bags... adding a hydrocarbon-based liquid to a plastic bag is beyond stupid as this is likely to dissolve or degrade the bag.

FernandoSor · 31/03/2026 22:08

Pigeonpoodle · 31/03/2026 22:04

Wind and solar don’t work on dull, calm days…

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Nuclear and storage technologies do though. I have solar and my lights are on and washing machine going despite it being dark outside - not using any mains. Nuclear for base load and renewables+storage for variable load is the future.

Pigeonpoodle · 31/03/2026 22:04

MummyWillow1 · 31/03/2026 22:01

Agree, why do people insist on continuing to be reliant on oil? If we had invested in renewables earlier we wouldn’t be in this situation now 🤦‍♀️

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Wind and solar don’t work on dull, calm days…

Pigeonpoodle · 31/03/2026 22:02

SurreySenMum26 · 31/03/2026 21:43

Omg. There currently is no announcement of fuel shortages or rationing of petrol.

Who is seriously not going to drive in case of a theoretical fuel shortage in which a theoretical nurse needs it more? This is bonkers.

Well this is MN where taking a pebble from a beach is wanton destruction of the planet.

FernandoSor · 31/03/2026 22:01

Pigeonpoodle · 31/03/2026 21:57

12% is a significant percentage to lose…

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It’s 12% of oil imports, so more like 7% of our total as we produce 40% of our own supply. And it’s only used for producing diesel and jet fuel, not petrol.

MummyWillow1 · 31/03/2026 22:01

TheWildZebra · 31/03/2026 15:32

North Sea oil is sold on the international market, not domestically. It wouldn’t make a jot of difference to our situation. See this briefing by energy experts who track these things for a living :

https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/drill-baby-drill-approach-north-sea-would-cost-households-more-fully-renewable-uk-finds-oxford

ETA it is bizarre to me that folks recommend MORE investment in fossil fuels when that reliance is exactly what creates vulnerability in our societies anyway. NS is a maturing (read emptying) oil and gas field, and we’d have to look internationally for our supplies after a few years again anyway.

May as well produce the energy domestically and renewably, so we actually have control over supply and prices.

Edited

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Agree, why do people insist on continuing to be reliant on oil? If we had invested in renewables earlier we wouldn’t be in this situation now 🤦‍♀️

Fernticket · 31/03/2026 21:58

Just filled my car up at our local Tesco's ( my tank was very low). Talking to the lady cashier and she told me that they are having fuel deliveries in every day instead of every 2 days as normal. Largely caused by panic buying. She said there was no need for it fuel stocks are Ok.
Stop panic buying people!

Pigeonpoodle · 31/03/2026 21:57

TheWildZebra · 31/03/2026 15:30

Here’s the stats: only 12% of the UKs fuel comes through Hormuz. Any shortages are as a result of scaremongering and panic buying as previous posters have suggested

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-30/63638/#:~:text=Just%20under%2012%20per%20cent,jet%20fuel%20and%20white%20diesel.

12% is a significant percentage to lose…

Peony1985 · 31/03/2026 21:56

SurreySenMum26 · 31/03/2026 21:43

Omg. There currently is no announcement of fuel shortages or rationing of petrol.

Who is seriously not going to drive in case of a theoretical fuel shortage in which a theoretical nurse needs it more? This is bonkers.

Everyone knows the situation and has seen fuel go up 20p a litre in a couple of weeks. That isn’t normal and as a nation we rely on petrol and diesel.
Of course government should say something. Why would it not?

Pistachiocake · 31/03/2026 21:53

The toilet roll became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Talking about car fuels, I wouldn't bother, unless you really need to travel, eg people having essential medical treatment some distance away in the big cities (you can't always use public transport for this). If you're talking airlines, that's different.

JenniferBooth · 31/03/2026 21:50

SurreySenMum26 · 31/03/2026 21:43

Omg. There currently is no announcement of fuel shortages or rationing of petrol.

Who is seriously not going to drive in case of a theoretical fuel shortage in which a theoretical nurse needs it more? This is bonkers.

Some people really miss the lockdowns

LadyRoughDiamond · 31/03/2026 21:48

There was an article in the Times about a week ago warning about jet fuel shortages if the war continues into April. Apparently long-haul flights will be the first to be cancelled.

MyJustCat · 31/03/2026 21:47

The minister repeating on R4 this morning about how average annual electric bills are due to fall by just over 100 in April and totally avoiding the point that they will go up by 300 in June. I hope the Government has a plan, does anyone think they have a plan and just aren't telling us to avoid panic buying?

SurreySenMum26 · 31/03/2026 21:43

Omg. There currently is no announcement of fuel shortages or rationing of petrol.

Who is seriously not going to drive in case of a theoretical fuel shortage in which a theoretical nurse needs it more? This is bonkers.

NoSoupForU · 31/03/2026 21:35

GentleSheep · 31/03/2026 15:56

Yes Keir Starmer was in a meeting yesterday with a lot of industry big-wigs about the situation, plus he'll be holding a COBRA meeting today.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/03/30/keir-starmer-to-meet-energy-chiefs-as-fears-of-uk-fuel-shortage-grow/

https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/prime-minister-to-meet-bp-and-shell-bosses-as-concern-over-fuel-shortage-grows/717089.article

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/keir-starmer-middle-east-cobra-iran-strait-of-hormuz-b2949040.html

Very much not scaremongering. There will be an impact from the Iran war, unfortunately. The longer it goes on, the worse things will get. People are barely waking up to this now.

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It's about the impact on energy, as average prices are set to increase by £300 in July, and likely to suffer severe rises following that as we're very vulnerable to external factors.

It isn't about the availability of petrol.

Yodeldodeldo · 31/03/2026 21:29

They absolutely need to prioritise school buses as a 4th emergency service. I haven't got it in me for homeschooling again.

It was ok when they were primary aged and I had Carol Vorderman's books, but we're now at GCSE and A level and I can't bullshit to this level.

TeethAreImportant · 31/03/2026 21:25

SerendipityJane · 31/03/2026 19:07

Because she was clever and lined them ?

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Putting a highlight flammable liquid in open plastic bags, lined or not, in the boot of your car, is the very opposite of clever. In fact, I think it would get her a Darwin Award nomination at the very least. Anybody lights a cigarette near her car for the next 2 months and they might not live to tell the tale.

NoSoupForU · 31/03/2026 21:21

CrocusesFlowering · 31/03/2026 15:28

The NHS is days away from running out of some medical supplies according to Sir Jim Mackey its CEO.

Jesus fucking christ.

He didn't say that. He said he generally worries about our reliance on imported medication as it accounts for about 75%. He said there's been difficulties over the last 12-18 months with supply chain issues affecting some medication.
And he said they're establishing a task force to investigate opportunities to remove some of the risk as some medications could be depleted within a few days if there were supply chain disruptions.

Isekaied · 31/03/2026 21:17

Hall84 · 31/03/2026 20:47

Working my way through, I fill up once a month (ish!), more often lately due to planned trips. I queued for petrol today, in the middle of the day as popped out on my lunch break to collect a parcel. I haven't been under a rock but the queue did take me by surprise as I haven't seen any local signs indicating garages have run out (Big Tesco, north west)

There was probably a queue cos our local tesco is the cheapest place for fuel locally.

3luckystars · 31/03/2026 21:17

We must tell Henny Penny and Goosey Lucy also.

Ashleymac · 31/03/2026 21:16

I think the government are deliberately remaining tight lipped about any possible fuel shortages to stop people panic buying, because if everyone just continues to buy fuel as normal we could be ok for a while. Unfortunately there is the PRATS out there that go absolutely stupid storing fuel which then causes shortages. It was these same morans that caused a toilet roll shortage during COVID!

Isekaied · 31/03/2026 21:12

SerendipityJane · 31/03/2026 19:07

Because she was clever and lined them ?

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She was not clever

ThatCyanCat · 31/03/2026 21:11

Whammyammy · 31/03/2026 21:09

Good lord. They do walk amongst us

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Nah, they're driving.