The real scandal of the forecourt is how much we're now paying for a litre | Rick Jackson

I really don’t know what people are to do.The general public are currently being very badly portrayed by the very people who rely on their custom.
HOW MUCH?: Petrol hits 142.9p a litre in London. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA WireHOW MUCH?: Petrol hits 142.9p a litre in London. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
HOW MUCH?: Petrol hits 142.9p a litre in London. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

So you need your car for your job. With no job you lose your income. If you have no income you can’t pay your mortgage or your rent.

You then read in the paper that Britain is ‘running on empty’ and that there is a fuel shortage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

So, you do nothing and hope the situation sorts itself out before you run out of petrol.

It doesn’t. Then what?

One morning this week I saw Sky News filming a petrol station live in Manchester, a scene repeated all over the UK.

The broadcaster showed someone filling up their car, then a Jerry can next to them. They kept focusing on other people doing exactly the same.

If it had been eight Jerry cans I’m sure that would have been newsworthy and for the record, illegal, as you can only store 30 litres of petrol.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What they were not showing, or leading with, was the price of that fuel, which in some cases has rocketed 10p-15p a litre. Now that is a scandal.

In Gosport, there is a petrol station which is generally the cheapest in town.

Last time I looked a week ago diesel was 130p a litre. This week it’s 140p a litre. Supply and demand? No, daylight robbery.

For me Brexit is not to blame, Brexit just highlighted the issue, as truck drivers from eastern Europe were prepared to work long hours for low wages in poor conditions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Brits won’t except these terms so easily and all Brexit has done is highlight, not that British people are work-shy, but that British people aren’t prepared to work for a pittance.

As we keep hearing, there is no fuel shortage, but there is a driver shortage.

Now it’s another fine mess Laurel & Johnson have to sort out.

In the meantime, let’s stay cool and be kind to each other. There is enough fuel even though we may need to queue for a while to get it.

After the 18 months we’ve all had, let’s just keep calm.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.