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The government has authorised an extension to special driver licences that allow drivers to transport goods such as fuel.

ADR licences due to expire between 27 September and 31 December will have their validity extended until 31 January 2022, without the need for refresher training or exams.

It means they won't be taken out of circulation for any training.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who has made the announcement, says: "We are starting to see panic buying moderate with more grades of fuel available at more petrol stations."

He adds: "Even though the current network of tanker drivers is capable of delivering all the fuel we need we have taken the additional step of asking the army to help plug the gap, whilst new HGV drivers come on stream thanks to all the other measures we've already taken."

Reality Check

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The government is introducing temporary visas for 5,000 fuel tanker and food lorry drivers to work in the UK in the run-up to Christmas - it's faced calls to do so for weeks.

That's because of growing concerns about the deliveries of food, and particularly in recent days, of fuel.

The shortage of HGV drivers is due to a combination of Covid, Brexit and other factors.

A Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey of its members estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK. It includes the thousands of drivers from the EU who were previously living and working in the UK before Brexit.

When the UK was part of the EU single market, they used to be able to come and go - but new immigration rules mean that is no longer the case. There is also new bureaucracy, and the decline in the value of the pound against the euro since the Brexit vote has made working in the UK less attractive for EU nationals.

Covid is a problem too because as travel became increasingly restricted last year, and large parts of the economy shut down, many European drivers went home. And haulage companies say very few have returned.

The pandemic also created a large backlog in HGV driver tests, so it's been impossible to get enough new drivers up and running.

We have a full explainer here on the issue.

Image source, EPA

The Army is on standby to help ease fuel supply problems, according to the business secretary.

Kwasi Kwarteng says it is a "sensible, precautionary step" and if troops have to be deployed, they would temporarily "provide the supply chain with additional capacity" to ease the pressure caused by increased fuel demand.

The BBC has been told 75 military tanker drivers are on standby, and another 75 could be added if needed. They require up to five days of specialised training.

Huw Merriman, a Conservative MP and chairman of the transport select committee, says the Army would be used as a "last resort" if the situation doesn't stabilise in the next couple of days - but adds that the industry must explain how it plans to fix long-standing driver shortages.

Labour says the latest response to the fuel crisis is "an admission of failure" and that asking the Army to step up is "a sticking plaster".

Read the full story here.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the fuel supply crisis that has promoted long queues and pump closures at petrol stations across much of the UK.

The UK is estimated to be short of more than 100,000 lorry drivers - causing problems for a range of industries, including food suppliers and supermarkets, in recent months.

We'll be bringing you the latest updates on what's happening, and what it means for you, throughout the day.

Stay tuned.