Petrol station charging £2.93 per litre SELLS OUT as fuel shortage getting WORSE

A PETROL station charging almost £3 per litre has sold out as Britain's fuel shortage gets WORSE in some areas.

Gulf station in west London, is charging desperate fuel-short Brits £2.93 per litre to top up - nearly double it's normal £1.98-per-litre charge.

Countless pumps are still running on empty nation-wide, with the fuel crisis a "really big problem" in London and the South East, according to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA).

Queues of drivers snaked along roads outside petrol stations from 1am this morning with drivers desperate to be the first-in-line for opening.

And now, 200 soldiers are set to start delivering petrol on Monday in a bid to end the crisis after going through a crash HGV course.

In a frantic bid to avoid running out - and to capitalise on the rush for petrol - the Gulf station in Sloane Avenue hiked up its cost to an eye-watering £2.93 per litre of Super Unleaded fuel.

And drivers weren't put off, with pumps selling out in a matter of hours.

Local resident Simon Lloyd, 56, told the Sun: “I thought it was high at £1.98.5 and then it’s gone up.

“It’s only a small petrol station with three pumps, they are trying to dissuade people in a nice way from filling up their tanks.

“But a guy filled up with 55 litres so it’s not deterring people at all, they will pay any price.

“There were guys parked in there for hours waiting for it to open.”

In a bid to encourage calm and dissuade panic buyers, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said the fuel situation is "stabilising" in most parts of the country and the military is being deployed as a "precaution".

It comes as...

• Britain faces a months-long fuel, energy, and food crisis, ministers fear
• A man was filmed shouting "I'll slap you" at a woman in a petrol station row after she confronted him over "jumping a two-hour queue"
• Ambulance drivers are sent begging letters urging them to help drive fuel trucks amid petrol crisis
• What UK petrol stations have fuel near YOU – Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons all OPEN but crisis will still last WEEKS

He told Sky News: "I think it is right that as a precaution that the Government has asked the military to help.

"I think that is the right measure to take to make sure that people have all the confidence that they need.

"I think that will further stabilise the situation and give more confidence."

Fuel squeeze

But Chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) Brian Madderson today warned that fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "In London and the South East and possibly parts of eastern England, if anything it had got worse."

Mr Madderson welcomed the announcement that military drivers are to be deployed from Monday, but he warned it will only have a limited impact.

"This isn't going to be the major panacea," he said. "It's a large help but in terms of the volume, they are not going to be able to carry that much.

"We do need a prioritisation of deliveries to filling stations - particularly the independent ones which are the neighbourhood retail sites - in London and the South East starting immediately."

He said rising world oil prices mean motorists should expect higher prices at the pumps when filling stations are resupplied.

"Expect anything from 1, 2 or even 3p a litre increases at the pump. This is not profiteering. This is genuine wholesale price increases causes by global factors."

Army of the unlead

Military tanker drivers have been undertaking training at haulier sites and will be deployed to deliver fuel to forecourts across the country to help relieve the situation, which the Government insists is stabilising.

The Ministry of Defence approved the request for assistance and soldiers will start driving fuel lorries on Monday next week.

The new development will see soldiers driving HGVs after the PM was urged to "act now" as thousands of Brits panic buy at petrol stations across the country.

It was also announced that a temporary visa scheme for foreign HGV drivers that was due to expire on December 24 will now be extended to the end of February.

The Government said 300 fuel drivers will be able to come to the UK from overseas "immediately" under a bespoke temporary visa which will last until March.

And 4,700 other visas intended for foreign food haulage drivers will be extended beyond the initially announced three months and will last from late October to the end of February.

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that shortages of goods could continue until Christmas, adding that we're seeing "real disruptions in supply chains."