Military arrives at Buncefield oil depot to deliver fuel

Military personnel have arrived at an oil depot to help deliver fuel.

Members of the armed forces were seen arriving at the Buncefield depot at Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.

Almost 200 servicemen and women, 100 of them drivers, have been brought in to provide “temporary” support to ease pressure on stations, the government said.

Military personnel, in uniform and wearing face masks, were spotted walking near the gates of the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, which is Buncefield’s official name.

Involving trained military personnel in the distribution of fuel would “provide temporary support as part of the government’s wider action to further relieve pressure on petrol stations and address the shortage of HGV drivers”, it added.

About 22% of filling stations in London and south-east England still did not have fuel, according to the executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association, Gordon Balmer.