Where can I buy petrol and diesel in Birmingham today and which garages have run out of fuel?

There are still petrol shortages across Birmingham after several days of panic buying from motorists last week drained forecourts dry.

Many motorists ignored pleas not to stockpile fuel as a lack of HGV drivers has restricted deliveries to forecourts.

Although speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this weekend, Boris Johnson said the fuel shortage crisis “is abating” but that broader issues could last for months.

BirminghamWorld contacted a string of filling up stations across the city on Thursday (7 October).

Here’s the information we’ve been given from garages across the city.

Where can I buy petrol in Birmingham today?

Central Birmingham

Petrol and diesel is available today at the City Service Station on Stratford Road and at BP station on Watery Lane Middleway

Petrol and diesel is also available at the Shell station on Bath Row, the Vauxhall Road service station and the Texaco on New John Street, Hockley.

North Birmingham

Petrol and diesel is available at the Harvest Energy station on Dudley Road and at the Texaco station on Holyhead Road Handsworth.

Petrol and diesel is also available at the Shell garage on Old Walsall Road, Hamstead.

South Birmingham

Petrol and diesel is available today at the Murco VVS service station on Alcester Road, and also at the Shell Bristol Road station in Northfield.

East Birmingham

Petrol and diesel is available today at the Leaway service station Meadway, the Esso Bickenhill garage on Coventry Road, Solihull, and at the Jet Flaxley Road station.

West Birmingham

Petrol and diesel is available today at the Texaco Bearwood service station in Smethwick.

Why have we been seeing queues on forecourts recently?

Although the UK doesn’t have a shortage of fuel, with problems due to Brexit and the Covid pandemic there aren’t enough HGV drivers to supply it.

Long queues quickly formed at the pumps at the end of last week despite Government urging motorists not to head for the station to fill up, with one Manchester motorists tweeting a photo of queues after midnight at the weekend.

And forecourts continued to empty of fuel over the weekend.

It was reported on Monday that the Government was even considering drafting in the army to help replenish the supply at petrol stations across the country.

Is the Army going to be asked to help?

The Government has now announced Army tanker drivers are on standby to help deliver fuel and ease the supply issues.

Ministers had been resisting bringing in the armed forces, hoping instead that queues would shorten as people returned to normal buying patterns.

However Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who issued the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request, said putting troops on readiness to assist was a “sensible, precautionary step”.

“If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel,” he said.

It was reported that initially 75 drivers would be given additional training to enable them to drive tankers, with a further 75 available if required.

The Government is also coming under pressure to ensure healthcare staff and other essential workers are given priority access to fuel supplies.

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