The UK government has put the military on standby to alleviate a shortage of fuel truck drivers. Some 75 military tanker drivers are ready to be operational and this number could be doubled. 

However, the trucking industry says it's barely a drop in the ocean when the country is suffering from a shortage of approximately 100,000 drivers.

Reports of a driver shortage have triggered four days of petrol panic buying.

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At a station in north London on Tuesday drivers told CGTN Europe the situation is "chaotic."

"There's traffic everywhere. People are fighting and arguing," one said. Another man said: "It's very hard, I have to leave my job and my office just to get fuel."

When asked what he blamed for the crisis, he simply said: "Brexit.”

Taxi drivers told CGTN that on Tuesday morning there were hardly any petrol stations in central London with fuel. However, the government insists there is no fuel shortage, only a truck driver shortage.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "COVID-19 has created a shortage of lorry and tanker drivers throughout the world.

"In Poland, there's a 123,000 shortage, Germany 60,000 shortage, America said it's the worst crisis they've ever had, it's impacting on everyone."

Since the fuel crisis started, the government has also announced a plan to offer temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers and to speed up the process for getting a license to drive a lorry.

The government has also suspended competition between oil companies to encourage them to share information about fuel supply.

In some parts of the UK, the Petrol Retailers Association says up to 90 percent of pumps are dry.

Still the government argues the situation is beginning to normalize.

"We're starting to see just the first signs of stabilization, which won't yet be reflected in the queues, but is in the percentage of fuel now available in the underground storage in the actual petrol stations," Shapps said.

The Transport Secretary also acknowledged that Brexit is a factor that has contributed to the truck driver shortages.

Thousands of drivers left the UK because of uncertainty over their visa status after the country left the European Union, others left during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not returned. 

There have also been lengthy delays in training new recruits and issuing new licenses.

Video editor: Nuno Fernandes