UK readies soldiers to help ease gas shortages at pumps

The British government put dozens of soldiers on standby Monday to help easy fuel supply problems caused by a shortage of truck drivers, a situation that has spurred panic buying of gasoline across the country.

As unions called for emergency workers to be given priority for fuel supplies, the government said it was placing British army tanker drivers in “a state of readiness in order to be deployed if required to deliver fuel to where it is needed most.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said Britain had “strong supplies of fuel.”

“However, we are aware of supply chain issues at fuel station forecourts and are taking steps to ease these as a matter of priority,” he said.