London drivers feel the pinch as gas stations run dry

The thirst for fuel continues in London, unquenched for a second day in a row.

For taxi driver David Turner, empty pumps at gas stations means a weekend of lost business.

"I've got about two to three hours' worth, about 20 miles. So I don't know what I'm going to do. I've either got to get home or park up and go home. Leave it till Monday or come out early Sunday and take the chance of getting (fuel) early."

A shortage of truck drivers in Britain, has led to problems delivering fuel from refineries to gas stations.

With gas rationed, ministers have warned motorists to stop panic buying.

It hasn't worked.

"The radio, television, the media. Seems to suggest, there's not a shortage, but really there isn't any. But people get worried: 'Ooh. I must get diesel, I must get petrol."

Brexit and the global health crisis put a stop to driver training and testing for about a year.

Downing Street now wants to issue 5,000 temporary visas for foreign truck drivers, but the retail sector says those plans are insufficient.

The haulage industry says Britain needs 100,000 more drivers to meet demand.

Supermarkets alone will need at least 15,000 truck drivers to operate at full capacity ahead of Christmas, according to the British Retail Consortium.

In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said it was "looking at temporary measures to avoid any immediate problems" but declined to give more details.

The fuel issue comes as Britain, the world's fifth-largest economy, also grapples with natural gas prices spiking in Europe, causing soaring energy prices and a potential food supply crunch.