Knife pulled out, car toss driver on bonnet in road rage over UK’s fuel shortage

As dozens of bunks across the UK ran out of fuel due to the persisting lorry and tanker drivers shortage, and as Britons waited in long queues for several hours to fill diesel this week, chaos ensued on Tuesday at the pumps with the intense altercation, public brawls and arguments breaking out among the drivers trying to cut into a long line of cars.

In the shocking visuals that emerged, on Sept. 28, a 29-year-old man Stefan Silva was filmed pulling out a knife on 'Wild West' petrol forecourts in midst of panic buying, apparently running out of patience as he had waited at the pump since 8 am, the British press reported. The angry man threatened to attack after a blue Citroen attempted to overtake his car from in front of the queue at around 1.30 pm at the Shell garage. "He cut across the traffic lights from the other side, and obviously illegally driving on the wrong side of the road to cut across," witnesses told Sky News, as several others jumped to calm the angry man and diffuse the violent situation. 

Scenes of road rage, fistfights, and people throwing kicks and punches intensified at the fuel stations after limits were imposed by the pumps on buying due to the shortage continuing into the sixth day blamed on the dearth of lorry drivers due to Brexit immigration policies and COVID-19 pandemic that caused backlog on job applications. Cars clogged up the roads causing heavy backlog and motorists were seen shouting at each other in the disturbing visuals broadcasted and shared across the social media platforms on Tuesday. One man rammed into the knifeman, tossing him halfway into the air onto the car’s bonnet. 

MPs ask UK PM to 'come out of hiding' 

Outlining the seriousness of the countrywide fuel crisis, and the situation slipping out of hand, British MPs slammed the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for ignoring prior warnings as they urged the leader “to come out of hiding” and address the nation. Condemnation roared in the House of Commons for his decision to not bring in the military for delivering the fuel immediately to “regain public confidence,” British press reported. On Tuesday, petrol bunks started rationing fuel at a whopping £30 sales price worsening the British customers’ misery. 

Prime Minister Johnson and his Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who were not seen in the House as per reports, had earlier stated that the fuel crisis is expected to subside in weeks ahead. But the government blamed the situation on panic buying, as Shapps urged the Britons not to purchase excessive fuel if not needed. His remarks came after reports emerged that people were queuing with empty water bottles at their local gas stations to fill up the fuel and store for later. “The sooner we can all return to our normal buying habits, the sooner the situation will return to normal," Shapps told Sky News.

“There are now the first very tentative signs of stabilisation in forecourt storage which won't be reflected in the queues as yet,” UK’s Transport secretary Shapps said in a pooled TV clip, adding that it is the “first time that we have seen more petrol actually in the petrol stations.”

A national fuel retailer association agency estimated that about 50 percent to 90 percent of the pumps in the UK had now run dry.  "As soon as a tanker arrives at a filling station, people on social media are advising that a tanker has arrived and then it is like bees to a honey pot," Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, told Britain's Times Newspaper."Everyone flocks there and within a few hours it is out again," he said.