Diesel car owners have been issued a 42-day fuel warning amid fears that emergency stockpiles are starting to dwindle, according to analysis from Sky News.
Sky News’ economic expert Ed Conway has claimed the UK has just 42 days of emergency diesel stockpiles, one of the worst in Europe. The expert has suggested that the statistics point to a “very big issue”, with the UK possibly “unprepared” for the ongoing fuel crisis.
Record pump prices
The news is set to be another major blow to diesel car owners and comes after pump prices exceeded previous all-time highs at the weekend. Average diesel costs hit an average of 199.11p per litre, higher than the previous record of 199.09p.
Mr Conway said: “Japan has over 1,000 days worth of stockpiles. Switzerland's got lots, Germany’s got lots, Spain’s got lots. Italy’s got lots, France has got lots, Belgium, the Netherlands, and there’s the UK.
“Australia has one of the lost, 31 days worth in Australia. The UK is barely more at 42 days worth of imports in terms of our emergency stockpiles. That is basically your protection against the shortage of imports and the UK is very long.
Declining stock levels
“It never used to be 42 days, back in the early 2000s it used to be over 100 days, but over time as refineries close, you’ve seen the amount of stocks in the UK go down and down and down.
“You might have thought when the Strait of Hormuz was closed and people in Government saw that happening they may have thought ‘okay we need to get that line up as we can see where this is heading’. What actually happened to that line, it went down. Our degree of preparedness for this kind of moment is lower than it’s been for many, many years. It’s a very big issue.”
Forecourt supplies normal
However, Mr Conway admitted there was still plenty of fuel at UK petrol station forecourts, with stock levels still close to the UK average.
When queried about fuel stocks, a DESNZ spokesperson recently explained that forecourts in the UK were being supplied with petrol and diesel as normal. Officials confirmed they are continuing to work with industry to monitor sales, deliveries and stock levels for any sustained shifts from normal trends.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “We have a diverse and resilient supply. We continue to engage with our international partners and the UK fuel industry.” Express.co.uk has contacted DESNZ for further comment.
