A BP service station near Maidstone has closed its pumps after it ran out of fuel, as the company cited industry-wide driver shortages as the cause.

It is understood the garage in Ashford Road, Lenham, ran out of petrol and diesel by lunchtime today, closing its pumps.

Elsewhere, there were reports that no fuel is available for lorries at the Maidstone Services on the M20 at Junction 8 near Leeds Castle.

BP said a handful of sites across the country had closed and it was working hard to address the issue.

In a statement, it said: “We are experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the UK and unfortunately have therefore seen a handful of sites temporarily close due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades.

“These have been caused by delays in the supply chain, which has been impacted by industry-wide driver shortages across the UK, and we are working hard to address this issue.

“We continue to work with our haulier supplier to minimise disruption and to ensure efficient and effective deliveries to serve our customers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

As well as BP, Esso owner ExxonMobil also said a “small number” of Tesco Alliance petrol forecourts have been impacted by disruption to petrol deliveries.

BP told the government in a meeting last Thursday that the company’s ability to transport fuel from refineries to its network of forecourts was faltering.

Hanna Hofer, BP’s head of UK retail, said it was important the government understood the “urgency of the situation”, which she described as “bad, very bad”, according to a report by ITV News.

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