Eastleigh bus company donates fuel to struggling services

The One Community service has been able to continue because of fuel donations from a bus company

A bus company has been helping schools and community services by giving fuel to their minibus drivers as the UK experiences petrol supply issues.

Xelabus in Eastleigh, Hampshire, has also been topping up its own drivers' tanks so that they can get to work.

The company said it had experienced delays to its services due to queuing cars at petrol station forecourts.

However, it had not suffered itself from fuel shortages, according to managing director Gareth Blair.

One Community, which provides services and support to elderly and disabled people in the Hampshire town, said it would have been forced to suspend its transport operation without the fuel donations.

It transports about 1,000 people a month within the Eastleigh area, taking them shopping, to day centres and shop mobility services.

Stuart McAuliffe, the charity's transport manager, told the BBC: "We fill up regularly so our buses were topped up at the end of last week before this hit, but we're now starting to feel the pinch.

"Had Xelabus not offered to supply us with fuel then we wouldn't have been able to keep running from tomorrow for a lot of our services."

Urgent appeal

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.

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

One hospice in Oldham has put out an urgent appeal for petrol donations after the fuel crisis left staff struggling to fill up their vehicles.

Earlier business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said there were signs the situation at petrol stations had "begun to improve".