Shocking video shows more brawls erupting as fuel crisis enters day six

29 September 2021, 12:11

Shocking scenes as men brawl near petrol station in Epping

More fights have broken out in petrol queues as the fuel crisis enters its sixth day, with pictures emerging of desperate drivers illegally filling buckets and one man trying to drive off with his boot filled with three huge tanks worth.

Scenes of angry motorists were spotted in Epping, Essex, where a brawl broke out between men waiting to fill up.

Five men were filmed fighting in the street just before lunchtime on Saturday, with one taking his top off as the confrontation escalated and punches were thrown.

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Essex Police said it is investigating the incident, which is one of many to have broken out as people rushed to forecourts across the country.

A spokesperson for the force said: "It was reported that a group of men had been seen fighting on High Road. Our enquiries continue.

"Anyone with information or dashcam footage from the time of the incident can contact us on 101, quoting incident 577 of 25 September."

Meanwhile, a man was spotted filling up three large tanks of petrol at a Londis station in Thetford, Norfolk, despite £30 caps being introduced at a number of forecourts.

The Londis petrol station said on Facebook that the man in question was stopped after furious motorists took to social media to complain about the driver's "selfish" actions.

It comes after a "knife" was drawn at a furious clash at a pump in Welling, south east London.

In one shocking clip shared to Instagram, a man approaches a car with what appears to be a knife by his side, shouting through the window at a driver who is believed to have jumped the queue.

The man ended up being carried on the car's bonnet as it drives forwards into the station to try and fill up. He proceeds to kick the car door multiple times, before aiming for the side mirror as it drove off.

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Despite the chaotic scenes unfolding across the country, Boris Johnson has insisted that the fuel crisis is "stabilising" as he urged people to only get fuel when they need it.

The Prime Minister has been accused of failing to do enough to tackle the crisis, and he has dismissed calls for key workers to be prioritised at pumps.

He tried to calm the chaos by urging the public to only "fill up in the normal way when you really need it", but he warned that the government is working on resolving wider supply chain issues and "getting through to Christmas and beyond".

Man pulls 'knife' on motorist in petrol station brawl in southeast London

Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday, Mr Johnson urged people to fill up with petrol "in the normal way" and said: "All we want to do is make sure that we have all the preparations necessary to get through to until Christmas and beyond, not just in the supply [to] petrol stations but all parts of our supply chain."

He added: "We've got to make sure we have everything in place as the recovery continues and that's what we're doing."

With concern from industry leaders that the crisis could last weeks, the military is expected to begin training to help deliver petrol supplies.

A decision to put 150 military drivers on standby has been formally approved, meaning they can begin training in case they are required and could be deployed within days.

A further 150 drivers' mates are also ready to help out as part of the military effort.

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It comes as new figures released today show that car use in Britain this week reached the lowest level for a working Monday since July 12, suggesting some drivers have cut the time they spend on the road due to the fuel crisis.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show car traffic was at 91% of pre-pandemic levels on Monday, compared with 97% a week earlier.

Car use on Saturday decreased week-on-week from 107% to 102%, while on Sunday it declined from 109% to 104%.