British drivers hunted for hours or sat snarled in queues to fill their tanks; dozens of forecourts were closed with signs saying they had no petrol or diesel, Reuters reporters said.

A post-Brexit shortage of truck drivers, exacerbated by a halt to truck-driving-licence testing during COVID lockdowns and people leaving the haulage industry, has sown chaos through supply chains, raising the spectre of shortages and price rises in the run up to Christmas.

Britain put a limited number of military tanker drivers on a state of readiness to be deployed to deliver fuel if necessary…

Fights broke out at some English petrol stations as drivers jostled for fuel and pictures on social media showed some people filling up old water bottles with fuel.