Motorists and shoppers have been urged not to panic-buy fuel and goods as the shortage of lorry drivers hit supplies.

“A recent survey of our members has revealed that staff turnover and vacancies are manageable but increasing and we will continue to actively monitor this. The industry has historically had a low level of non-UK passport holders as drivers.

As in previous years, we will soon launch our Get Winter Ready campaign urging consumers to order heating oil ahead of the winter period.

We would like to reassure people that our members will do everything they can to get deliveries of heating oil out to customers but as is our advice every autumn, we want consumers to be prepared and to plan ahead so that they can stay warm when winter arrives.

Should there be any disruption to supplies our Members will always prioritise critical services and vulnerable customers such as the elderly and those with young children and health conditions.

Many of our Members have already been implementing the Cold Weather Priority scheme during the COVID pandemic to help prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers. Members local knowledge of their customers has helped to identify those customers, but we are asking if anyone has an elderly neighbour who uses heating oil to check if they are okay and if they need heating oil to contact their local UKIFDA Member who will be able to help them.

Our advice is: Be patient and trust your regular supplier  Tell your heating oil supplier when you will run out so that they can prioritise. And don’t leave it until the last minute to place your heating oil order.”