Well despite all attempts to prevent panic buying, it appears to have fallen on deaf ears in our part of Bristol. I set off to buy some food for our son at Tescos about 10 minutes away as the local ASDA no longer stocks the items he likes. Fine going there and they had started queueing at the Tesco petrol station, but the forecourt had one or tow cars waiting. I get back to the roundabout by our local ASDA and complete gridlock due to every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to get fuel, so no-one who just wanted to shop could get to the supermarket!

Very difficult to underestimate the stupidity of the great British public.

Project fear strikes again!

It has been 'fuelled' (!) by front page headlines attempting to make the country look like it is in chaos and scoring political points by an exaggerated focus on food and fuel shortages and gas problems (gas is in fact a Europe wide problem). A little more honest media coverage and the British public would be able to take most of this in their stride. The media have given us a big problem that is now harder to manage, which was in reality only a small problem that was easily managed!  I am not a political animal,  but have always been something of a news junkie, I am increasingly being turned off both!

The same types who are still wiping their behinds on last year's loo roll supply.

I plan to drive economically on my way to Carronade today.

I agree Norm! A few weeks ago the Today programme (IIRC) was speaking to a haulage contractor based in Lithuania and they were having exactly the same problems as we are right across Europe, yet we won't hear about it. As you say the gas problem we share with Europe. Hence I only tend to listen to the headlines these day and switch off.

Yep, it's the news announcements that have caused this. It would be better if they did not mention it at all. Then no panic buying by the idiots

My wife got more petrol yesterday from Sainsbury's and had to wait a while but it was a frustration rather than a problem.

The media doesn't help it is true.  However 'panic buying' of petrol is a bit different from foodstuffs in that you can only fit a finite amount in your car, so unless you are driving it a lot demand should fall off again. If I didn't have to drive on Wednesday to Milton Keynes our local driving would mean we wouldn't need more fuel for a good two to three weeks.

Edward

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 25 September 2021, 07:28:23 AM
The same types who are still wiping their behinds on last year's loo roll supply.

I bulk bought just before the panic buying, still got 1.75 rolls left.

Quote from: Orcs on 25 September 2021, 07:58:00 AM
Yep, it's the news announcements that have caused this. It would be better if they did not mention it at all. Then no panic buying by the idiots

Absolutely !!! 

The media, in all forms......now, sadly including 'Auntie', do this.

Ironically......The Technomobile is genuinely a bit short of petrol, and will definitely require filling up, in the next few days...We're lucky...a tank full lasts us around a month.
This morning....Down to the local village...get papers...'brunch'..and a couple of cards for Von's birthday which is fairly imminent.

The garage didn't seem to be over busy....Good ....I'll go and get the petrol now.
Park at pump.....Garage operative comes out..."Sorry, we haven't run out of fuel....But the pumps and tills aren't 'talking' to each other...It's going to take 30 minutes, or so, before it's sorted out."

"No, sweat...I'll leave it for now."

Operative puts cones out, on the two entrances/exits to stop people coming onto the forecourt.

TOTAL FRIGGING CHAOS  !

Me...driving around a cone to go out.

Some frigging idiot, moving the cones to drive in  ......More folk trying to drive onto the forecourt...Folk trying to get out of the little carpark, next to the garage...and trying to get IN to the same carpark. ......Very cross faces !

I'm glad I got home without getting 'shunted'......I'd bet a pound to a penny, that's going to happen.....That'll make it even worse !!

Cheers - Phil. ...Glad to be home !!

I will admit... that if I had still had to drive to Work... I 'might' have filled up... plus cans... not 'panic'... just 'caution'... but so many like myself, now, just 'Dont't need'... so media reaction, again. If a queue... wouldn't have bothered.
Note to self... see if anything still in 'cans' from 'last time'! lol. 

Last time we had fuel shortages, we were told as essential workers we would be given a letter and sent to a specified petrol station to fill up.

This time I am working from home so only done 1500 miles in my old Focus in 6 months, including the trip to Devon.  I have half a tank left from holiday so that will last me at least a month, and the Audi is far more economical, so will fuel that when it needs it and use that if the problem continues.

The two words guaranteed to engender panic - "DON'T PANIC!"

If you are told that supplies of something you rely on are likely to be affected it only makes sense to grab some if you can.

I saw an interview with an Eastern European HGV driver online who used to work in the UK and now works in Spain because,"The English made it clear they don't want us and besides the weather is better here."

Emergency visa systems may help with the former but alas won't improve the weather

Quote from: Ithoriel on 25 September 2021, 12:40:21 PM
The two words guaranteed to engender panic - "DON'T PANIC!"

Totally right, Mike. (sadly)

Time to start a panic for something else.......Water ?.....The Sun's about to go out, or go nova ?
Folk would be running to Boots to get sun block........

Blank me.

Phil.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 25 September 2021, 12:40:21 PM
The two words guaranteed to engender panic - "DON'T PANIC!"

Particularly in nice freindly letters !

Thing about the Old 'Don't Panic' or similar, now fondly thought of, posters, was... those who would, would have done' already.. but those who Hadn't, got 'reassurance'...and a laugh!

HGV issue...  not funny... BUT!  How long since Brexit vote? How long for 'Business' / Hauliers to 'incentiviise', recruit and train UK  Drivers? Not Gov'ts fault,... but another'panic' to be bailed out...

In later years at work, 8 to 10 Big HGVs... foreign plated... parked up on industrial estate for sleepover. Drivers and Companies all paying Taxes, Profit, elsewhere! I don't like 'Containers'... but, if going to use... drop at Dock and UK work for dock and shipment... how Brexit SHOULD work! Bur 'Commerce' averse... and gov't not 'made' it happen

So... maybe another political response to 'Panic'.

But... the Old Posters Were Right! 'DON'T PANIC ! lol.

Here we go again

Passed 3 local petrol stations in our part of Bristol twice today (once on way 2 and once on way back) and the queues were as long at 19.00hrs this evening as they were at 10.00 this morning. Interesting that they were mostly full of large 4x4s - ideal for the close Victorian streets of Clifton & the school run of course !

We have half a tank of fuel left, which will keep our little A2 running for a week locally - so fingers cross all the panic-buyers will be happy and out the way by then!

The Press just love to create a crisis - as that means they can report it and sell more media/papers (e.g. advertising) to the twits that like to know about a crisis.  Lunacy!

Maybe we could get them all to panic about something useful - like picking up their dog mess or litter or not driving their little tiny ones to school in fuel guzzling monster cars or getting Bristol City Council to realise that their new electric scooters are just a serious (deadly) accident waiting to happen.

Odd, there didn't appear to be any fuel queues this side of the Severn yesterday.

I dropped my daughter off to work this afternoon however and all the petrol stations were chaotic with cars backed up onto roads. Tesco was  as Steve described the scene in his original post - queues blocking the entrance to the supermarket car park, already a sign saying they had run out diesel.

Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 25 September 2021, 05:23:06 PM
HGV issue...  not funny... BUT!  How long since Brexit vote? How long for 'Business' / Hauliers to 'incentiviise', recruit and train UK  Drivers? Not Gov'ts fault,... but another'panic' to be bailed out...

In later years at work, 8 to 10 Big HGVs... foreign plated... parked up on industrial estate for sleepover. Drivers and Companies all paying Taxes, Profit, elsewhere! I don't like 'Containers'... but, if going to use... drop at Dock and UK work for dock and shipment... how Brexit SHOULD work! Bur 'Commerce' averse... and gov't not 'made' it happen

Hauliers were complaining of a shortage of drivers way before Brexit, that just massively compounded the problem.

If recruiting and training drivers were easy we wouldn't have this problem. Very few people want to spend nights sleeping in thier cabs, away from home for days or even weeks, with no social life to speak of.

When I worked with the local mobile library service we had no problem getting HGV drivers for the artics.  Regular hours, by their standards, even though it was shift work. Sleeping in their own beds at night. The pay was way less than long distance driving got you but the perks made up for it.

Most containers on foreign lorries were loaded up on the continent and do door-to-door delivery. Off-loading and re-loading containers would be crazy.

Brexit was utterly stupid but not's let make it worse than it needs to be. If we are determined to be a third rate nation, let's at least aim to be the best third rate nation we can be.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 25 September 2021, 06:56:42 PM
Hauliers were complaining of a shortage of drivers way before Brexit, that just massively compounded the problem.

If recruiting and training drivers were easy we wouldn't have this problem. Very few people want to spend nights sleeping in thier cabs, away from home for days or even weeks, with no social life to speak of.

When I worked with the local mobile library service we had no problem getting HGV drivers for the artics.  Regular hours, by their standards, even though it was shift work. Sleeping in their own beds at night. The pay was way less than long distance driving got you but the perks made up for it.

Most containers on foreign lorries were loaded up on the continent and do door-to-door delivery. Off-loading and re-loading containers would be crazy.

Brexit was utterly stupid but not's let make it worse than it needs to be. If we are determined to be a third rate nation, let's at least aim to be the best third rate nation we can be.

With the take off of delivery (parcels, take always ...) there is a lot of alternative employment for trained drivers that doesn't involve all the issues above.

It doesn't help when the person telling you "It's a minor supply issue, don't panic" has a track record as an untrustworthy chancer.