U.K. Gas Shortages Grow as People Panic Purchase Amid Dwindling Deliveries

U.K. Gas Shortages Grow as People Panic Purchase Amid Dwindling Deliveries

As the United Kingdom contends with a shortage of truck drivers, a wave of panic-buying gas among residents is exacerbating fuel shortages in the country, the Associated Press reported.

About two-thirds of members in the Petrol Retailers Association, which represents nearly 5,500 independent fuel sellers, reported that they had run out of gas amid the national frenzy.

The combination of COVID-19, an aging labor force of truckers and the post-Brexit loss of foreign workers in the field has led to a shortage of up to 100,000 drivers in the U.K., the industry said. Because of Britain's departure from the European Union, citizens of the bloc are now unable to live and work in the U.K. without a visa, AP reported.