Petrol supply: Meals on wheels charity calls for fuel priority

Lynne Kindell said essential workers, like those at CAMMS meals on wheels, should be given priority access to petrol

A meals on wheels service has called on the government to give essential workers priority at petrol stations.

Soldiers will be delivering fuel in the coming days, and long queues can still be seen at pumps.

CAMMS meals on wheels in Cambridge makes 200 deliveries a day to older people.

Manager Lynne Kindell said: "What we would really, really like is to have a designated petrol station like we did in 2000 when their was a shortage."

She said this could benefit care workers and the NHS.

Ibrar Razaq said staff were delivering prescriptions to pharmacy users out of hours and using their own cars

Hampton Pharmacy in Peterborough usually delivers more than 100 prescriptions a day, but that number has been reduced to 75.

Pharmacy manager Ibrar Razaq said wholesalers were struggling to get deliveries to them.

"People are helping us by coming in to collect the medications," he said.

"It's difficult for the vulnerable or elderly patients, so we are trying to provide a service to them.

"My colleagues have been helping by delivering in the evenings, after work in their own cars."

People have been queuing for fuel at petrol stations, such as this one in Barton, Cambridgeshire, on Tuesday

Hertfordshire-based the Human Milk Foundation provides donated breast milk to hospitals caring for sick babies and to individual families.

Founder Dr Natalie Shenker said the charity was struggling to get staff into work, have milk donated and finally to get it delivered to those in need.

"That's really putting pressure on the whole organisation," she said.

"We need milk donors based locally in Hertfordshire, particularly mothers who have a large stash of milk."

Fuel supplies are plentiful at refineries but a shortage of tanker drivers caused problems with deliveries to a small number of filling stations last week.

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Reports of pumps running dry at some garages then subsequently led to a surge in demand.

A joint statement from 14 fuel companies said there had "always been plenty of fuel at our refineries and terminals".

The government has denied there is a crisis in UK fuel supplies.

Asked on Tuesday if he supported prioritising workers such as NHS staff, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "With things stabilising, the best thing is, we stabilise in the normal way."