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Original poster

To ask why we aren’t talking about the fuel anymore?

279 replies

checkedcloth · 03/10/2021 18:28

We still have all our petrol stations empty, there has been the odd delivery but all the pumps have empty signs very quickly.

It doesn’t seem to be on the news anymore, are we just accepting that this is how we now live?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
TheYearOfSmallThings · 04/10/2021 08:21

Still no petrol here (London). It's not a big problem for me, but it does irk me that Boris has successfully pushed the matter under a rug by announcing "the situation has eased".

GoodnightGrandma · 04/10/2021 08:21

I filled up yesterday, no problems.
But then I’ve been conserving petrol and not going anywhere I don’t need to go.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 08:29

@FanGirlX

It is still being talked about OP, it's still in the press. However it's now a localised problem, rather than a National problem, so isn't headlines anymore.
Wrong.

As a pp pointed out, it's a problem in the part of the UK that has 1/3 of the UK population (and affects the rest of the UK as it is happening in the part where the taxes paid in are paid out to fund the rest of the country).

It's also an international issue. With London at least. We were told repeatedly that we couldn't have Covid border control due to it being a vital international travel hub.

FreedomFaith · 04/10/2021 08:32

We've got enough up north, can easily get.

Really it's up north that needs it. We have shite public transport in comparison to down south. Some areas don't have any public transport at all, or it comes by twice a day and that's it (if you're lucky and it doesn't get cancelled or breaks down). I bet most people on this thread who can't get fuel could use public transport, they just don't want to. That's fine when you have a choice, you currently don't.

Plus the South voted for brexit, this is what you should have expected and been prepared for, and not overreacted to. Shortages were bound to happen for a while on certain things due to losing people who will actually work. Instead, you all went nuts filling up tons of containers in a few days. It's the covid mentality again, just further proof the human race is selfish and doesn't give a shit about others, and is also on the whole pretty stupid.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 08:33

@YourFinestPantaloons

Because it seems to be a SE issue and the country doesn't start and end in the SE.

This week has been a horrendous week for women. Utterly terrifying. The petrol issue will be resolved soon. Rampant misogyny within the public sector is here to stay. It affects 50% of the population. No petrol in the SE affects those who can't use public transport in the SE

Personally I'm picking my battles.

Well, what with 1/3 of the UK population living in the SE, that includes rather a lot of women. Including many vulnerable ones. Domestic abuse victims will struggle even more to flee in the middle of a fuel crisis. It will be harder too for emergency or support services to get to them.
Teeturtle · 04/10/2021 08:35

@checkedcloth

Christ there is some hostility here. MN never used to be like this?

Anyhow for the likes of @JemimaPiddleDick and co. This isn’t driven by a sense of entitlement, I’m just very worried about how I get to work.

I’m a nurse so WFH not an option, and many people rely on me to be in work, not at least our patients.

The fact that areas of the UK have this concern does feel newsworthy to me, in that I’d feel the same if this was the case in Cumbria or Lancashire for example.

When did we all get so shitty with each other?

How would reading about petrol shortages in the news help you though?

We are in an area still suffering shortages too and the less it is reported the quicker things will go back to normal.

Fizbosshoes · 04/10/2021 08:38

Our town (commuter town outside London) has 2 fuel stations. Neither had any fuel saturday eve or yesterday. There are a few fuel stations on the outskirts if the town that didn't have any either. I happened to pass one when visiting a friend and they had had a delivery in the afternoon

elbea · 04/10/2021 08:38

I’m in a South West city and I’ve at no point had to queue or been faced with the petrol station being closed. It seems like a problem in the South East and presumably the rest of the country doesn’t need to be reminded every ten minutes.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 04/10/2021 08:39

@FreedomFaith that's very simplistic. There are loads of places in the SE that have shit public transport. The SE isn't just London. And no, I don't live in the SE.

PurpleFlower1983 · 04/10/2021 08:40

It’s sorted here in the North where I am, no queuing, no shortages, all good. Doesn’t need to be national news anymore as it’s not a national issue.

rawhidebone · 04/10/2021 08:42

@Confiscatedpopit

SE… too much money (for some) and too little worries. More likely to panic buy.

Northerners- not enough £ to stock up and more likely to worry about actual problems.

Horrific generalisation but surely a grain of truth there…

Oh my that is so funny, is that what you think of Northerners 😂 we can only afford to put a couple of quid of petrol in at a time and going in a car is such a big event that Artful Dodger and his cronies chase after the car as it trundles down the road (cobbles?) in excitement. Sometimes we go searching for bits of scrap metal for the scrap metal man so our mams can treat the whole family with meat for tea instead of just sugar butties.
Teeturtle · 04/10/2021 08:43

@FreedomFaith

We've got enough up north, can easily get.

Really it's up north that needs it. We have shite public transport in comparison to down south. Some areas don't have any public transport at all, or it comes by twice a day and that's it (if you're lucky and it doesn't get cancelled or breaks down). I bet most people on this thread who can't get fuel could use public transport, they just don't want to. That's fine when you have a choice, you currently don't.

Plus the South voted for brexit, this is what you should have expected and been prepared for, and not overreacted to. Shortages were bound to happen for a while on certain things due to losing people who will actually work. Instead, you all went nuts filling up tons of containers in a few days. It's the covid mentality again, just further proof the human race is selfish and doesn't give a shit about others, and is also on the whole pretty stupid.

You sounds unhinged with your generalisations!

Of course there are places in the south that do not have good public transport! We are only on one bus route and there is only one bus a day. It is a 7 mile walk to the nearest shop. I also live 40 miles north of London.

LakieLady · 04/10/2021 08:47

@CuckooCall

I'm in the SE. I thought this ridiculous situation would be significantly resolved by the end of last week so I held on rather than succumbing to panic buying, but I've now been trying to get fuel for the last few days but the queues have been ridiculously long and I haven't had the time to waste sitting in hours and hours of queues. Today every petrol station in town was shut. I haven't filled up since 2nd September and I fortunately don't have to use my car everyday, plus I've also avoided certain less necessary trips in the car to conserve fuel, but I am literally down to my last little bit of fuel now and I'm starting to feel quite panicked about being unable to fill up. I just don't know what to do.
I'm avoiding using my car where possible. It's a bummer, because I've been off work last week and am again this, and have felt reluctant to go anywhere much.

It's been dreadful round here, none of the 6 petrol stations within 3 or 4 miles have had fuel for long, and the next nearest is 9 miles away.

I'm due to have knee surgery on Thursday. It was cancelled a couple of weeks ago because they couldn't get an anaesthetist, I just hope they can all get fuel and get to work this week!

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 08:51

@PurpleFlower1983

It’s sorted here in the North where I am, no queuing, no shortages, all good. Doesn’t need to be national news anymore as it’s not a national issue.
Is there a factory churning them out? It's all pretty much the same (unpleasant) wording.
Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 08:52

Plus the South voted for brexit

Erm, Red Wall North... Oh, and London didn't.

Helendee · 04/10/2021 08:52

Ok here in the West Country now.

BelleOfTheProvince · 04/10/2021 08:56

Aside from anything else London voted overwhelmingly against Brexit and plenty of Northern towns for.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 09:01

Not that Brexit is responsible for decades of devaluing essential jobs like HGV drivers. Low pay, crap facilities for overnight stops.

And employers have had 5 years since the Brexit vote to train people up, offer improved pay and working conditions, build lorry parks.

As for it all being due to panic buying. No, it isn't. It's been explained many times. It's because of population density - 1/3 of the UK live in the SE.

Sheer numbers of people (many originally from the north and other parts of the UK) needing fuel.

TableFlowerss · 04/10/2021 09:02

To be honest if people did lie and say they were able to get petrol, then it would ease the panic and help improve the situation. This whole situation has been created by panic buying, rather than any actual significant shortage of fuel

@Doris86

Exactly this.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 09:03

@LakieLady

I hope all goes ok for your knee surgery.

nannynick · 04/10/2021 09:03

West Surrey: There was fuel yesterday but reports on FB are saying no local places have fuel today.

Many of us did not vote for Brexit.

We are not all in jobs where we can work from home.

Lack of fuel is an ongoing issue which is not being resolved.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 09:09

@TableFlowerss

*To be honest if people did lie and say they were able to get petrol, then it would ease the panic and help improve the situation. This whole situation has been created by panic buying, rather than any actual significant shortage of fuel*

@Doris86

Exactly this.

But that's not the case in the SE. It made things worse but there really is an issue with delivery. Sheer numbers of people (1/3 of the UK population) all needing fuel.

Remember too the southern centricness of Insulate Britain. Their repeated attacks on the M25 - blocking traffic on major routes - is bound to have some impact.

FreedomFaith · 04/10/2021 09:12

Of course there are places in the south that do not have good public transport! We are only on one bus route and there is only one bus a day. It is a 7 mile walk to the nearest shop. I also live 40 miles north of London.

Good for you. We don't have any near our house at all, we'd have to walk further than you to probably find it's not even coming. But that's the sad reality of living in the middle of nowhere. Seen plenty of posts on other threads of people who could take public transport but don't want to because of covid. Yet I bet they'd jump on a plane to go on holiday. You have no choice, suck it up and get on public transport if needed.

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 09:16

But that's the sad reality of living in the middle of nowhere.

There's a solution to that. Don't vote Lib Dem when the housing developers turn up. And voilà. No longer the middle of nowhere.

LakieLady · 04/10/2021 09:19

@RoseMartha

I am in SE Passed a petrol station tonight which was out of fuel. The supermarkets seem to have more than the non supermarket petrol stations. Its better than when the panic started but not great where I am.
The petrol station at my local Tesco (Sussex) has been shut all weekend.

There was a huge queue yesterday at the my friend's local petrol station in Brighton. When she walked back an hour or so later, the queue had gone and the petrol station was closed.