British Army on standby as UK reels under fuel crisis

Up to 90% of British fuel stations ran dry across major English cities on Monday after panic buying deepened a supply chain crisis in the country. In Pic: A Shell petrol station that has run out of fuel is seen in Northwich, Britain, May 27, 2021. (Reuters)

A dire post-Brexit shortage of lorry drivers emerging after the Covid-19 pandemic has sown chaos through British supply chains in everything from food to fuel. In Pic: A man carries containers to a petrol station in Bracknell, England, Saturday Sept. 25, 2021. (AP)

The scale of the crisis can be measured by the fact that the British government has put dozens of soldiers on standby to ease fuel supply problems. In Pic: Vehicles queue to refill at a Shell fuel station in central London, Britain, September 27, 2021. (Reuters)

Long lines of vehicles have formed at many gas stations around Britain since Friday, causing spillover traffic jams on busy roads. In Pic: 'Out of use' signs are seen on fuel pumps at a filling station in London, Britain, September 25, 2021. (Reuters)

Major fuel firms, including BP, Shell and Esso, said in a joint statement that they expected demand for gas to “return to its normal levels in the coming days.” In Pic: Drivers queue for fuel at a petrol station in London, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (AP)

According to AP, Several other countries, including the United States and Germany, also are experiencing a shortage of truck drivers, but the problem has been especially visible in Britain. In Pic: A fuel tanker drives at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead, Britain, September 28, 2021. (Reuters)

The government has said it would issue 5,000 three-month visas for truck drivers starting in October, in a bid to end the crisis. In Pic: A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (AP)

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has maintained that Britain had “strong supplies of fuel.” In Pic: Motorists queue to fill their cars at a Sainsbury's fuel station in Ashford, England, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (AP)