Central England Co-op offers fuel to support Blue Light workers at petrol filling stations

The decision has been made in response to the exceptional demand for fuel currently being felt across the country.

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Paul Dennis, chief operations officer at Central England Co-op, said: “Although the situation continues to improve, we feel right now it is absolutely vital that valued Blue Light workers in our communities get the fuel they need.

“So, wherever possible, we are giving priority to emergency workers to make sure they can stay on the road and continue with their essential work.”

Outlets where fuel is being held for emergency workers will be signposted by posters on-site as supplies become available and it is hoped that all petrol stations run by Central England Co-op will be able to extend this offer of help as soon as possible.

Derbyshire’s Local Resilience Forum – which is made up of the emergency services, the NHS, councils and other public sector organisations from across the county – has met to discuss the current issues around fuel availability being experienced in some parts of the country.

A forum spokesperson said: “All organisations have stocks of fuel and are able to run services, so Derbyshire residents will be able to get help in an emergency and will be able to receive critical services as required.

“The organisations all have contingency plans in place which can be used should the current situation continue.”

Derbyshire County Council’s leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, has moved to reassure residents about local services.

He said: “All of Derbyshire’s public services, including the county council, have plans in place for situations that might cause disruption to the services the communities of Derbyshire require.

“While these plans are not required currently, they will be enacted if needed and all of our organisations will work together to address any issues.”

People are again encouraged not to buy fuel sooner than is needed, and not to collect fuel in unsuitable containers or store fuel at home because of the safety risk.

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