Preston petrol station boss: 'We limited fuel to key workers but we've run dry'
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The Texaco garage in New Hall Lane, Preston, is diverting customers who are pulling up in desperate searches for fuel to nearby service stations, after its supplies ran completely empty today with "no idea" when they can be restocked.
Hussein Patel, owner of the garage, told the Lancashire Post on Saturday morning he would be limiting motorists to a maximum spend of £25, and even closed the pumps to everyone except key workers later on Saturday afternoon.
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Hide AdBut despite limiting petrol and diesel to emergency services, delivery drivers, carers and other key workers - and still imposing a £25 limit on their purchases - the pumps have run dry and the garage can only open its on-site convenience store.
Mr Patel said: "On Saturday we had to put fuel aside for care workers, emergency services and delivery drivers, people who really needed it.
"We still had to limit them to £25 because we were going to run out.
"We've now completely run out of both petrol and diesel. People have been here panic buying and we're in a busy location.
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Hide Ad"We had a delivery on Thursday evening which was supposed to last until this Wednesday, but Texaco has now emailed me to say they had an outage problem - so we've got no idea when we're going to get a fuel delivery now.
"All we can do now really is keep the convenience store open, we can't sell fuel."