Gas stations running dry in major British cities

Gas station pumps ran dry in major British cities on Monday and vendors rationed sales as a shortage of truckers strained supply chains to the breaking point in the world's fifth-largest economy.

A dire post-Brexit shortage of truck drivers as the COVID-19 pandemic eases has sown chaos through British supply chains in everything from food to fuel, raising the spectre of disruptions and price rises in the run-up to Christmas.

Drivers queued for hours to fill their cars at gas stations that were still serving fuel, albeit often rationed, and there were calls for National Health Service (NHS) workers to be given priority to keep hospitals open as the pandemic continues.

"As pumps run dry, there is a real risk that NHS staff won't be able to do their jobs, and provide vital services and care to people who urgently need it," said Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, the British Medical Association's council chair.

Pumps across British cities were either closed or had signs saying fuel was unavailable on Monday, Reuters reporters said, with some limiting the amount of fuel each customer could buy.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents independent fuel retailers, said members had reported that 50 to 90 per cent of pumps were dry in some areas.

"We need some calm," Gordon Balmer, executive director of the PRA, who worked for BP for 30 years, told Reuters. "Please don't panic buy: if people drain the network, then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."