Boris Johnson set for visa U-turn for 5,000 foreign truck drivers but is it too little too late? Panic-buying gridlocks fuel stations through the night, tempers flare at the pumps and UK faces food shortages

daily mail ^ | September 24,2021 | By SEAN POULTER and HARRIET

[Hojczyk]

Boris Johnson is set to U-turn on visas for lorry drivers to allow 5,000 foreign hauliers into the UK after panic-buying gridlocked petrol stations across the country overnight.

Motorists ignored Government pleas for calm as they jammed roads and police had to be called in to marshal drivers amid fears that fuel shortages could bring the economy to its knees.

The Prime Minister is expected to buckle and grant visas for thousands of foreign drivers in a bid to tackle the shortages, while soldiers will also be drafted in to help at HGV testing sites to clear a backlog of drivers trying to get licences

As the crisis deepened:

Police were called to forecourts to manage queues, head off confrontations and keep traffic moving;

Three cars were involved in a crash when tempers flared at a petrol station in Gosport, Hampshire;

Motorists in queues complained about greedy customers filling their tanks and then jerry cans;

Small petrol stations raised prices to cash in on the panic and experts warned of further increases;

Bosses of major fuel firms warned they will have to start shutting petrol stations because there are not enough lorry drivers to effectively distribute to all of its petrol stations;

A private equity-backed haulage firm specialising in chilled deliveries to Asda and Sainsbury's went bust, adding to concerns about gaps on shelves;

A shortage of natural gas causing a spike in gas bills for millions of Britons and the closure of fertiliser plants, which produce the CO2 used in fizzy drinks and the meat industry;

Bank of England warned yesterday that surging household energy bills would send the cost of living spiralling by more than 4 per cent this winter - the highest rate of growth for a decade

[Grampa Dave]

“Motorists in queues complained about greedy customers filling their tanks and then jerry cans!”

That can be potentially very dangerous.

My wife and I were on vacation in the northern Oregon coastal area when 9/11 happened. I was driving the OJ Simpson White Bronco model and was lucky to get a few 5 gallon limited/maximum gas stops on the way back to California.

At an Oregone/Cali border town station in Oregone, the locals were about into riots when the gas stations limited their gas purchases to 5 gallons and zero jerry can fillups.

The owner of the station where we got our last 5 gallons for that day, was wearing a big pistol and had 2 employees sitting on stools with riot guns. A sheriff’s vehicle came up just in time and via loud speakers told those with jerry cans to get the $$$$ out of line and go home. They did.

We got our 5 gallon fill up, and the owner handed me a hand filled in box top saying, “Next in Line!” for the next day and 5 more gallons. We were long time customers.

So, I used the cardboard box top the next morning, and we had enough gas to get to Willets, Ca and got 10 more gallons to get home.

[ronnie raygun]

Hocul invites the third world medical establishment to NYS

[Grampa Dave]

Get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test if you’re an HGV or van driverhttps://www.gov.uk › guidance › get-a-coronavirus-cov...

Get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test if you’re an HGV or van driver ... Free testing for hauliers is available at haulier advice sites around the country.

[entropy12]

Starting with Christopher Columbus LOL!