LONDON — Fuel pumps are running dry. Tempers are running high. And Britain’s Conservative-led government is facing what many argue is a crisis of its own making.
The government’s advice to stock up ahead of a threatened strike by British fuel-tanker drivers has prompted a wave of panic-buying across the country, with drivers clogging service stations and, in some cases, draining them of all their gasoline.
On Friday, firefighters in York said a 46-year-old woman badly burned herself while handling gasoline in her kitchen, increasing pressure on officials who had recommended that Britons set a bit of fuel aside.
“This was absolutely a desperate incident and a terrible thing that has happened to this woman,” said Prime Minister David Cameron. “My heart goes out to her and her family.”
It’s unclear exactly what happened to the woman or why she was handling the fuel. Fire official Peter Hudson said she had been transferring gasoline from one container to another Thursday evening when the fumes ignited, setting fire to her clothes. The woman, who hasn’t been named, suffered burns to 40 percent of her body.
Although questions remain, lawmakers in Britain’s opposition Labor Party slammed the government for fostering what they described as a needless panic. Particularly under pressure is Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, who said Wednesday that drivers could prepare for a possible strike by storing fuel in a jerry can — typically a metal can that holds a little more than 5 gallons of gasoline.
The “government created this fuel crisis and now must take full control,” said Brian Madderson of the Retail Motor Industry. “Panic-buying continues … with thanks to Francis Maude, many retailers have sold all their small stocks of petrol jerry cans.”
The irony is that the threatened fuel strike doesn’t appear imminent.
Unite, the union representing British fuel-tanker drivers, said it had ruled out striking over the Easter holiday — although industrial action could still come if talks break down.
