British army to start driving tankers, fuel queues persist

Vehicles queue to refill outside a Shell fuel station in central London, Britain, September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Files

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain ordered soldiers on Wednesday to start driving fuel tankers to replenish empty pumps, as motorists remained mired in queues after nearly a week of shortages, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the situation was improving.

Britain has been gripped by a rush of panic buying that has left pumps dry across major cities, after oil companies warned they did not have enough tanker drivers to move petrol and diesel from refineries to filling stations.