Petrol chief demands motorists 'buy normal quantities' as normality can return in days
PETROL chief Brian Madderson warned panic-buying could cause the fuel industry to collapse.
Fuel crisis: Petrol chief tells drivers to buy 'normal' quantities
Brian Madderson told BBC Breakfast: “If they start buying in enormous quantities- 20 pounds worth 20 liters to fill up every week.
“We could see, by the end of this week, return to normality.
“It won't be perfect but some return.
“But if they keep panic buying, then there's no chance because with 36 million vehicles on the road and 2 billion litres of storage, that's far more than the industry can cope with.”
Read more: UK petrol stations: Forecourt manager furious at 'silly' motorists - 'We have got plenty!'
Ministers are considering deploying the Army to deliver fuel.
They are also to suspend competition law to allow oil firms to target fuel deliveries at petrol stations following recent panic buying.
The move comes after days of long queues at the pumps fearing disruption to the fuel supply.
The UK has a total of more than 8,000 filling stations.
The Petrol Retailers Association has warned that as many as two-thirds of its membership of nearly 5,500 independent outlets are out of fuel.
The rest of them are “partly dry and running out soon”.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government had contingency plans to maintain fuel supplies.
He said: "While there has always been and continues to be plenty of fuel at refineries and terminals, we are aware that there have been some issues with supply chains.
"This is why we will enact the Downstream Oil Protocol to ensure industry can share vital information and work together more effectively to ensure disruption is minimised.
"We thank HGV drivers and all forecourt staff for their tireless work during this period."
A shortage of lorry drivers has caused problems for many industries.
Some fuel deliveries were affected, leading to panic buying and lengthy queues at some petrol stations.