More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Motorists could yet face another "week or so" of delays at the pumps as drivers continue to queue for hours at a time to top up their tanks.
The government say the situation is improving nationally but Kent remains among the areas worst hit by the ongoing fuel panic buying crisis.
This morning motorists in Kent took to social media to vent their frustration at the ongoing delays.
On Twitter, one resident wrote: "Only one petrol station open in my area of Kent with a massive queue in a small village - all service stations on main roads were empty of fuel within 15 miles."
Another reported seeing people walking with cans between petrol stations.
In Ashford, one motorist who queued for more than an hour for fuel, shared a video clip online showing the huge queues along the B2229.
And drivers could face another "week or so" of disruption at the pumps, the policing minister Kit Malthouse has warned.
Mr Malthouse said there needs to be an “improvement” in the situation in the coming days and that Boris Johnson stands ready to review matters if there is any deterioration.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “We are still seeing strong demand in parts of the country around fuel. The distribution mechanism is trying to respond to this unprecedented demand.
“My latest briefing is that the situation is stabilising, that we are seeing more forecourts with a greater supply of fuel and hopefully that, as demand and supply come better into balance over the next few days, week or so, that we will see a return to normality.
“I think if things started to deteriorate further, obviously the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Energy, whose responsibility this is, will have to review the situation.”
However, the minister conceded there were "pockets" of the country where problems remain – with London and the South East reported to be among the hardest hit.
He said efforts were being made to balance out the situation with areas where supplies were strong, but he indicated this was being impacted by the numbers of tankers available.
“What we need to see is a stabilisation and improvement over the next few days,” he said.
“Obviously there only so many tankers that can be used to get this fuel around. They are trying their best to get around as fast as possible.
“There is co-ordination now across the country looking at where there are pockets of supply problems and demand strength and trying to bring the two into balance.”
The crisis began after reports that a shortage of tanker drivers had led a small number of BP stations to close, which triggered a wave of panic buying.
On Wednesday, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwateng announced the government was sending out its reserve tanker fleet – driven by civilian drivers – to support the distribution efforts.
However it is yet to deploy the 150 military drivers who have been on standby since the start of the week to assist with the operation.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service is continuing to urge the public to only buy the fuel they require and, as ever, be aware of any blue light vehicle looking to progress through traffic. Advice on what you can do to help is available here.
