The UK is temporarily suspending competition laws to allow the fuel industry to target petrol stations most in need of fresh supplies - as the government considers using the army to help with deliveries.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng met industry executives on Sunday to try to find a way through supply chain pressures that have led to panic-buying of fuel.
In a statement, he said: "We have long-standing contingency plans in place to work with industry so that fuel supplies can be maintained and deliveries can still be made in the event of a serious disruption.
"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."
It comes as the Petrol Retailers' Association (PRA) warned on Sunday that as many as two-thirds of its nearly 5,500 independent garages were out of fuel, with the rest "partly dry and running out soon".
Other larger chains and supermarkets have said they have good availability and are working hard to maintain deliveries.
However, the prime minister is considering using the army to help deliver supplies amid a chronic shortage of HGV drivers to man the fuel tankers.
The government's competition announcement means the industry will be temporarily exempt from the Competition Act 1998 for the purpose of sharing information and optimising supply.
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It will make it easier for suppliers, producers and hauliers to work together and prioritise deliveries to locations most in need.
In a statement, industry stakeholders said: "We are in regular contact with government ministers and policy officials and it was reassuring to meet with the business secretary again on Sunday evening and discuss further action.
"We will continue to work closely in partnership over this period with local and national government and want to reassure the public that the issues that have arisen are due to temporary spikes in customer demand, not a national shortage of fuel."
The government will be hoping the new measures help ease the pressures brought on by a HGV driver shortage, which has seen supermarkets struggle to fill their shelves and petrol stations overrun by motorists.
On Saturday night, the government revealed it would offer short-term visas for foreign hauliers to come to the UK and help plug the gap.
Thousands more drivers will be trained up too, with the government fast-tracking those who want to get out on to the roads as soon as possible.
However, the move has been widely criticised by the industry.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said the measures "will do little to alleviate the current shortfall".
"Supermarkets alone have estimated they need at least 15,000 HGV drivers for their businesses to be able to operate at full capacity ahead of Christmas and avoid disruption or availability issues."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3N1cHBseS1jcmlzaXMtZ292dC1zdXNwZW5kcy1jb21wZXRpdGlvbi1sYXdzLXRvLWFsbG93LWZ1ZWwtY29tcGFuaWVzLXRvLXRhY2tsZS1zaG9ydGFnZXMtMTI0MTkyOTHSAYABaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3N1cHBseS1jcmlzaXMtZ292dC1zdXNwZW5kcy1jb21wZXRpdGlvbi1sYXdzLXRvLWFsbG93LWZ1ZWwtY29tcGFuaWVzLXRvLXRhY2tsZS1zaG9ydGFnZXMtMTI0MTkyOTE?oc=5
2021-09-27 01:51:16Z
CBMifGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3N1cHBseS1jcmlzaXMtZ292dC1zdXNwZW5kcy1jb21wZXRpdGlvbi1sYXdzLXRvLWFsbG93LWZ1ZWwtY29tcGFuaWVzLXRvLXRhY2tsZS1zaG9ydGFnZXMtMTI0MTkyOTHSAYABaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3N1cHBseS1jcmlzaXMtZ292dC1zdXNwZW5kcy1jb21wZXRpdGlvbi1sYXdzLXRvLWFsbG93LWZ1ZWwtY29tcGFuaWVzLXRvLXRhY2tsZS1zaG9ydGFnZXMtMTI0MTkyOTE
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