'There is no fuel shortage,' says Lancashire Police as force urges motorists not to "panic buy"

The Gazette asked the force whether it was having issues in accessing fuel for its vehicles, potentially hindering officers' response times to emergency call-outs.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Our fuel supplies and access to fuel remains largely unaffected.

“There is no fuel shortage and we would urge people not to panic buy and only fill their tanks as and when necessary.”

Despite police confirming they had not faced obstacles in terms of fuelling up. the same could not be said for many frustrated Fylde coast motorists.

Adeel Hashmi, manager at Fiveways Service Station in Devonshire Road, Bispham, set up a Facebook group - which has amassed almost 1,000 members - in order to keep drivers informed about local garages' fuel availability.

Motorists across the Fylde coast continue to discuss where they can buy petrol and diesel from - as more garages are reported to be closing until deliveries come in - and large queues continue to form.

Drivers swarmed to garages nationwide over the weekend, prompting a temporary suspension in UK competition laws in a bid to allow the fuel industry to target petrol stations most in need of supplies.

Officials said the move would make it easier for companies to share information so it can prioritise parts of the country where fuel supplies are running low.