Sussex Police Urge Public Not To Panic-Buy Fuel

Sussex Police have told More Radio that the reduced fuel situation has not had an impact on their operational vehicles so far, but people need to act sensibly.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Sussex Police told us:

"We continue to urge the public to act sensibly and only purchase fuel if they need to.

"We continue to monitor the situation with partner agencies through our Local Resilience Forum and have pre-prepared plans in place to assist with refuelling operational vehicles so there has been no impact on our response ability thus far. 

"We have been responding to fuel stations for either public order or traffic issues but currently we have not seen a spike in demand with no dedicated operations being put in place. Individual incidents will be responded to in line with our threat risk and harm principles."

Individual incidents such as this, tweeted yesterday by a Sussex Police officer:

George O'Rey, on behalf of the Sussex Resilience Forum, said: 

"We urge motorists to think carefully and not to buy fuel unnecessarily."

The Sussex Resilience Forum is made up of partner agencies across Sussex which are currently working together to assess and respond to any impact on services in Sussex. 

George O'Reilly, group manager for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said:

"The demand for fuel is outstripping delivery at this time and while we understand how unsettling it is, panic buying and stockpiling, when the fuel is not needed, is impacting on others.

"In particular, consideration must be given to key worker colleagues, unpaid carers and those looking after the most vulnerable in our communities. 

"The government says that there isn't a shortage of fuel. While we await to hear how deliveries will improve we ask people to play their part and take only what they need. 

"We also advise against storing petrol at home to prevent fire risk. Petrol is a dangerous substance and must be stored in suitable containers and in line with the advice from the Health Safety Executive. 

"We would like to reassure residents that agencies are working together and with the community we aim to help reduce any impact at this time."