The British oil and gas giant has told the Government it plans to restrict deliveries of petrol and diesel to its service stations in order to manage stocks. The firm has raised concerns over the ability to transport fuel from refineries to its forecourts in the wake of the global shortage of lorry drivers.

       BP’s Head of UK Retail, Hanna Hofer, held emergency talks with ministers organised by the Cabinet Office last Thursday.

       At the meeting, Ms Hofer stressed the “urgency of the situation” and described the current circumstances as “bad, very bad”, ITV reports.

       Ms Hofer added BP has “two thirds of normal forecourt stock levels required for smooth operations”, and warned the current supply is “declining rapidly”.

       Contingency plans to limit fuel deliveries to petrol stations are expected to be implemented “very soon”.

       In a statement, BP confirmed it has temporarily shut “a handful of sites” due to a lack of unleaded petrol and diesel.

       The company cited the “industry-wide driver shortages” for the issues faced and added it is working with transport firms to solve the problem.

       The measures are expected to see BP run 80 percent of its service stations at 90 percent of the forecourt capacity.

       Motorway petrol stations are set to be prioritised and continue to operate normally.

       BP has around 1,200 forecourts around the UK.

       The firm does not employ HGV drivers directly, but outsources workers from an independent haulier.

       The Road Haulage Association estimates there is a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers in the UK.

       The haulage industry has suffered a labour crisis following the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit rule changes.

       Coronavirus has slowed down global supply chains and restrictions on travel have meant many overseas workers have not returned to the UK.

       The hospitality sector and some supermarkets have reported a shortage of certain products due to the lack of HGV drivers.

       Ministers have encouraged firms to recruit domestic workers and increased the capacity for HGV driving tests and reduced the number of examinations needed.

       Small business minister, Paul Scully said: “We are concerned about BP and other sectors where we are hearing those stresses coming to bear.

       "This is why we are having regular conversations to see what government can do to increase testing, to increase the supply of drivers and bring drivers back.

       “We also want to see what the industry/ sector can do for themselves.”

       In a statement, BP said: “We are experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the UK and unfortunately have therefore seen a handful of sites temporarily close due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades.

       "These have been caused by delays in the supply chain, which has been impacted by industry-wide driver shortages across the UK and we are working hard to address this issue.

       "We continue to work with our haulier supplier to minimise disruption and to ensure efficient and effective deliveries to serve our customers.

       “We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”