THE closure of some petrol stations in other parts of the country has reignited concerns over lorry driver shortages.

Mid-Devon Advertiser apprentice reporter Ethan Heppell went out and about to see how the garages were faring across the Newton Abbot district.

It is reported that a ‘handful’ of BP stations, and a small number of Esso-owned Tesco Alliance stations, were closed on Thursday due to a lack of delivery drivers.

But in Teignbridge it seemed to be business as usual, if perhaps a little busier than usual.

It is estimated that the UK is short of about 100,000 HGV drivers – with gaps made worse by the pandemic and Brexit. Downing Street said there was ‘no shortage of fuel in the UK’ and people that should buy fuel ‘as normal’.

At the Shell garage at Trago Mills at 10.30am approximately it was quite busy with a member of staff walking up and down the road informing people that they have fuel but there was a long wait.

At the Tesco store in Kingsteignton at 11am the forecourt was full with queues back to the mini roundabout.

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged the government to relax visa restrictions for foreign workers to ease the driver shortage.

But the government said it wanted employers to make ‘long-term investments in the UK domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad’.

The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents independent forecourts across the UK, recommended motorists keep enough fuel in the tank to reach alternative filling stations in the ‘rare instance’ that fuel is not available at the first one they visit.