Iran Press/ Europe: The week-long crisis has triggered panic-buying and sparked violence at forecourts as critics blame Britain's exit from the European Union, the coronavirus pandemic, and a lack of foresight in replacing thousands of foreign drivers leaving the country.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News that troops could be delivering fuel supplies to forecourts "in the next couple of days", to cut long queues that have clogged up filling stations.
The government's reserve tanker fleet, driven by civilians, was also due to be sent out to deliver fuel on Wednesday afternoon, he added on Twitter.
A total of 150 military drivers have been put in a "state of readiness", with another 150 to deploy "in the coming days", a source told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday sought to reassure the public there was enough fuel in stock and the situation was returning to normal.
The shortage of tanker drivers last week sparked fears of pumps running dry, triggering panic-buying and some desperate motorists filling plastic bottles with fuel.
Frustrations even spilled over into threats and violence on some forecourts, while frontline healthcare and public sector personnel pleaded for priority access to get to work.
The government campaigned for an end to free movement across Europe during Brexit, promising to "take back control" of what it saw as unchecked immigration.
But last weekend it reversed entry rules to offer foreign truckers a three-month visa waiver, hoping to ease a wider shortage of drivers that has hit supply chains.
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