Council updates on fuel status to ensure essential services continue to be delivered

Wiltshire Council has issued an update on the fuel situation in Wiltshire, and its own reserves, after national concerns of disruption to supply have led to some people filling up earlier than usual.

There is no shortage of fuel supplies in the county, and if people just buy what they need, there is enough for all motorists. Some petrol stations do have temporary supply issues, but these are being caused by increased demand over a short period of time.

Currently, council services that have their own fuel supplies, or rely on council stores, have good supplies of fuel to last them several weeks, but some services that rely on getting fuel from public petrol station forecourts, such as social workers and taxis, only have enough continue for the next two to three days without refilling.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "Wiltshire is not suffering from fuel shortages, so we need to make this very clear: there is no need for people to fill up more than usual or buy more than they need.

"People should fuel their vehicles as normal, and then we will be able to return to the usual situation of there being enough fuel for everyone when they need it.

"At present, we have sufficient supplies at our depots to keep council vehicles running for several weeks, and our contractors have enough fuel to ensure that bins are emptied and Wiltshire's highways are maintained.

"However, if the changed pattern in demand continues, it may mean that some of our frontline teams that purchase fuel from petrol station forecourts - such as social workers and care workers - are unable to get the fuel they need. If that were to happen, these vital operations will be prioritised, which would have a knock-on effect on some of our discretionary services.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation to ensure that all our services have the fuel they need.  We also have a fuel plan in place to deal with situations like this, and we are ready to help partners in the NHS and other essential services if required.

"We hope this national situation is resolved as quickly as possible over the coming days, but we are well placed to deal with any local issues, and to keep our essential services running for our residents."