"Out of Use" signs cover fuel pumps at a petrol station in Paddock Wood, Southeast England, on Monday as Britain experienced further "panic-buying" of motor fuel. A shortage of lorry drivers due to the COVID-19 epidemic and Brexit fallout could reportedly see the government use the army to make deliveries. Photo: AFP

Britain on Monday put the army on standby to help with the ongoing fuel crisis as fears over tanker driver shortages led to panic buying, leaving many of the country's pumps dry.

"Limited number of military tanker drivers to be put on a state of readiness and deployed if necessary to further stabilize fuel supply chain," the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said in a statement issued late on Monday. 

Desperate motorists queued up at fuel pumps across Britain, draining tanks, fraying tempers and prompting calls for the government to use emergency powers to give priority access to healthcare and other essential workers.

The government says a lack of tanker drivers to deliver fuel and unprecedented demand is behind the crisis.

The military drivers will receive specialized training before deploying if the crisis does not ease in the coming days.

"While the fuel industry expects demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, it's right that we take this sensible, precautionary step," said Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

"If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localized demand for fuel," he added.

The government has already made a drastic U-turn on tighter post-Brexit immigration policy, offering short-term visa waivers to foreign truckers to help plug the shortfall.

Fuel operators, including Shell, BP and Esso, said there was "plenty of fuel at UK refineries" and expected demand to return to normal levels in days, easing pressure.

"We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would," they added in a joint statement.

But long queues were seen outside filling stations, even overnight, frustrating drivers and stoking concern about the effects on the wider economy.

"People are desperate. If I don't get petrol now, I can't get work anymore," one driver, David Hart, told AFP as he queued at a garage in London after a fruitless search over the weekend.

Britain's biggest public sector union, Unison, said key workers, including doctors, nurses, teachers and police staff, should be given priority access rather than having to wait in line.

"The government could solve this problem now by using emergency powers to designate fuel stations for the sole use of key workers," said general secretary Christina McAnea.

Medical bodies have already said some healthcare staff has struggled to get to work, while schools have warned that online teaching could resume if teachers are unable to reach their classrooms.

Critics blame government inaction on tackling  shortages of lorry drivers after Britain's departure from the European Union in January and the pandemic, which saw many foreign truckers leave the country.

The shortage has also led to empty supermarket shelves.

AFP