Have you bought petrol today when you wouldn't normally have?

[GreatPotato]

The BP petrol station here is closed and every other garage has queues on to the road.

I'll admit I did think I'd get petrol when I was out today. I have half a tank and I do generally keep it topped up for emergencies, although I would probably have left it until next week to fill up normally.

In the event, I didn't bother queuing but I'm guessing most of the people "panicking' are just filling up a few days earlier than they usually would. After all, a tank only holds so much, it's not as if you can buy a year's supply like toilet rolls

I filled up this morning only because that's what I normally do every week, I do a full tank every Friday.

I've just seen a Tweet from the local bus company. They've had to cancel two routes because of the traffic around Tesco!

No. Have a quarter of a tank but a small car. Hope to fill up early next week before gets to red, otherwise cannot get to work and a rural area.

Yes, live rurally with no bus service, I have a husband with cancer and two babies, one with epilepsy so I keep my tank above 1/2 full as our nearest hospital is an hour away.

No, but I've only got 45 miles left in the tank. Luckily I'm also a cyclist so will just leave it as is, cycle when I can, and hopefully things will calm down next week. I'm still on working from home so it won't affect that, although I'm kicking myself a bit that I didn't put a full tank in when I filled up last week on payday.

No, I’m going to wait a few days and hope the madness eases. Half a tank which will only last me for another week. Live rurally and have to drive my children to school so I am a little apprehensive.

Nope, less than 1/4 of a tank left but hardly use the car as WFH. Also go away on Tuesday so I'll wait till I get back.

I had a quarter tank and filled up yesterday evening. But I always fill up to the top of the tank cos I hate doing it and often have put it off and ended up having to when it's pissing down and blowing a feckin gale. Will use it sparingly until its calmed down. Its caused traffic chaos here!

The queue going into our local Sainsburys petrol garage is ridiculous. They should stop them, as the queue on the road goes into the next village. Our local Tesco garage was busy, but contained to forecourt parking.

I imagine there is a great deal of variation ,I wish people could say whereabouts in the country they are .

I'm in London but not been near a petrol station for a couple of days so no idea what it's like here .

Local Tesco garage forecourt full, queuing onto mini-roundabout/roads into the shopping centre and then onto the main roundabout (cars at standstill all around) and adjacent parkways. Terrible.

I've got 80 miles in the tank and was planning to fill up on the way home from the gym if it was quiet, but clearly not. Hopefully the local stations don't sell out/have massive queues when I do really need to fill up in 50 miles or so.

Was nearly running on an empty tank so filled it up, had to queue for about 3 mins

Near Uxbridge

Fortunately I went yesterday

Local Tesco was closed- no fuel, -I had to drive to the next village ( my tank was almost empty) and fuelled up OK.Just passed a couple of petrol stations this afternoon- huge queues.

No, because I'm not an idiot. My elderly neighbours took both of their cars and filled them up 'just in case' despite the fact that they never really drive anywhere and take full advantage of their free bus passes (we're in outer London). Selfish selfish people.

We were going to wait to fule up on the weekend as we needed fule for a long trip. So worried we'd run out we got it early!

Just as an added note to those that would probably flame me. The petrol stations here are running dry

@Sitchervice

Just as an added note to those that would probably flame me. The petrol stations here are running dry

No naked flames please. This is a thread about petrol. Safety first.

Sort of. Off on a long, but rural, journey on Sunday early. Would normally fill up on my way but did it in town this morning instead because if I miss the normal petrol station there's not another convenient one for miles, and only about 4 stations on the whole route (without diversions). I checked and only had a quarter tank, so it would have been a worry.

I had no idea about all this. I've been at work since 7:30 am, have a 2.5 hour break now, then have to start again at 4:30.
I noticed all the queues, but put it down to being in a tourist area and it being the last sunny weekend.
My break has been reduced to 1.5 hours (to get DC from school, do dinner and sit down for 5minutes) because I do home care and struggled to get around my route, today, because of the queues backing up the bypass.
In short, I would have filled up between visits, today, but didn't, because I was running late all day, and didn't have time to queue. I just thought I'd fill up on my way back to this evening's shift.
I now have 28 miles worth of petrol, and a 30 mile round to do, this evening. And another 50 miles, tomorrow and Sunday.
If I can't get petrol, I can't get to those 40 visits.
I don't know what to do.

I did fill up today and it wasn't too bad here - even inner city (Midlands) - brisk trade but I didn't have to queue.

The trucker crisis feels like it's at a tipping point - the shelves are noticeably emptier and BP already rationing etc... It's not the same as lockdown stockpiling - you can't run your car to get to work on toilet rolls or packets of pasta.

@Sparklfairy

The queues perpetuate more panic buying, its a vicious cycle. I don't drive but DM saw the queues earlier and is talking about "topping up" even though she has half a tank and doesn't do much mileage.

I just hope we don't sink to the levels of the US recently when people were filling all manner of dangerous containers before prices went up

Yank here. This didn't happen where I live and hasn't been in the news that I noticed. Prices have only gone up by 15-20 cents per gallon in the last month or so, so I'm not sure where you got this.

Gasoline containers also have to meet regulatory standards here.

Yep, I live in rural Cornwall and need to drive into work (NHS). There was a couple age 65yr + in the queue filling their car and 4 large jerry cans as if it was wartime.

Yes.

Wasn't going to but when I drove past my local sainsburys, the queue was back up to the road, I cracked.