Fuel shortage: Pre-Christmas HGV driver visas 'exploitative'

Plans to give foreign lorry drivers temporary visas are "exploitative", Wales' first minister has said.

A shortage of drivers has disrupted fuel deliveries, with some petrol stations closing, and queues forming.

Mark Drakeford said UK government plans for visas ending on Christmas Eve were "arrogant" as ministers insisted there was no fuel shortage.

In response, the UK government said the visas would provide "short-term relief" for the haulage industry.

It comes as representatives for NHS staff, emergency service workers and councils, urged drivers to allow 999 and care workers to skip long queues to get to the pumps first.

Supt Mark Williams, of North Wales Police, said the force had heard stories of key workers who had been "verbally abused" on garage forecourts.

Charities, key workers' unions and government officials have called for calm after panic buying sparked huge queues outside petrol stations, with some pumps running dry at the weekend in parts of Wales.

It comes after a shortage of lorry drivers led to some deliveries not being made to forecourts from refineries

There have been fears of pending food shortages due to a lack of drivers in the run up to Christmas.

On Saturday, plans to give temporary visas, lasting until Christmas Eve, to 5,000 fuel tanker and food lorry drivers and 5,500 poultry workers, were announced by the UK government.

However, speaking during First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr Drakeford slated the three month visa offer, saying it showed breath-taking "arrogance".

He said: "The idea that people are going to be willing to uproot themselves and come back and work in this country for a matter of weeks, only to be told by the UK government they will be discarded again on Christmas Eve when they no longer have any use for them... the arrogance of it is breath-taking, but it just isn't going to work."

It is estimated that the UK needs about 100,000 HGV drivers - with existing shortages made worse by Covid-19, tax changes, Brexit, an ageing workforce, low wages and poor working conditions.

Mr Drakeford accused the UK government of making a "derisory attempt to solve a problem of their own creation" due to Brexit."When we were in a single market and customs union people were able to move freely across the continent of Europe, and to do jobs here in this country. Those people are no longer available to us," he said.

In response the UK government said its package of measures, including putting the military on standby, temporary visas and training, would help ease supply chain issues and spikes in demand.

"The measure to make available 5,000 visas for HGV drivers for a three-month period will provide short-term relief for the haulage industry and is only temporary - visas will not be the long-term solution and reform within the industry is vital," a spokeswoman said.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans insisted there was "plenty of fuel" in Wales and urged people to stop panic buying to ensure key workers can refuel.

Ms Evans urged people to behave "responsibly" while UK governments work to ease logistical issues around getting petrol from refineries to the pumps.

Up to 150 military tanker drivers are on stand-by to deliver to UK forecourts, some of which have run dry due to panic buying.

However UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said there are signs supply problems are stabilising.

Speaking during a briefing on Tuesday, Ms Evans said that she understood people's anxiety, but there was no shortage and there was "plenty of fuel" in refineries and in storage.

"I know it can be stressful and worrying for people but we have to remember that there are people who work in the critical sectors who do need that petrol," she added.

"We do have a national fuel plan which could prioritise certain people or groups for access to fuel but we haven't invoked that because we understand the system will get itself back into kilter very shortly."