Britain facing fuel and supply shortage for MONTHS as drivers queue at petrol stations on 8th day of chaos

BRITAIN is facing a months-long fuel, energy, and food crisis, ministers fear, as Brits queued at forecourts again on the 8th day of petrol chaos.

No 10 is worried the winter will be plagued by an “EFFing” – energy, fuel, and food – crisis that will disrupt family Christmases.

Desperate motorists formed long lines outside petrol stations again today amid ministerial warnings the turmoil could go on for weeks.

Fuel reserves are still at less than half their usual level as fears grow that the recovery may be stalling.

Today the policing minister Kit Malthouse warned it may be “a couple of weeks” before the situation returns to “some kind of normality”.

Meanwhile dozens of reserve petrol trucks were photographed parked at a storage centre in Cambridgeshire – because there’s nobody to drive them.

And it emerged ministers have sent letters out to Germans living in the UK urging them to sign up to drive lorries.

Britain is also facing a butcher shortage with hundreds of thousands of pigs facing the cull within days.

There is now a “postcode lottery” across the country with petrol supplies improving in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the North East.

But there are still acute pressures in the Midlands and South East in particular, amid ongoing “unprecedented demand” from motorists.

The Petrol Retailers Association reported 27 per cent of forecourts ran dry yesterday, which is the same percentage as on Wednesday.

Mr Malthouse said the crisis was being still being caused by panic buying and not by a lack of fuel at refineries.

He said: “There is no supply problem coming into the country. There’s obviously a distribution issue that’s caused by excess demand.

“My information this morning is the situation is stabilising across the country, albeit there’s obviously still high demand for fuel.

“Let’s hope that over the next few days that eases as tanks fill and that extra demand starts to abate a little.

“If we can get demand stabilised and supply can resume, hopefully over the next few days and couple of weeks we’ll get back to some kind of normality.

“The fuel supply into the country is not the problem. There’s obviously a distribution issue that’s caused by excess demand.”

Mr Malthouse said panic buying was a “natural response” to fears over shortages and the public aren’t to “blame” for the crisis.

He added: “People have to get to work, get their kids to school, all those important things they need to do.”

London, the South East, North West, and the East and West Midlands are all on red alert with average fuel levels of below 20 per cent.

But supplies are improving in the North East, Yorkshire, and Wales which have all been upgraded to amber on the traffic light warning system.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are currently the only two parts of the UK classified as green, meaning the situation is normal.

Fuel squeeze

The Petrol Retailers Association warned many areas of the country are still facing an intense squeeze.

It said: “PRA members are reporting that whilst they are continuing to take further deliveries of fuel, this is running out quicker than usual due to unprecedented demand.”

Today it emerged many Germans based in the UK have been sent letters inviting them to take up a career in lorry driving.

Ministers have issued a plea for help to almost a million people in the UK who are entitled to get behind the wheel of an HGV.

That includes Germans whose driving licences were issued before 1999, as these licenses include the ability to drive trucks of up to 7.5 tonnes.

Ministers have been accused of “gaslighting” the public with claims that the petrol crisis is starting to ease.

Cops have been forced to man forecourts overnight as tempers frayed amongst frustrated Brits queuing for scarce supplies.

There are even fears the chaos could stretch on until Christmas threatening the festive season for millions of families.