BP closes petrol stations as Iceland shuts stores due to pingdemic causing shortages of staff

BP has closed several petrol stations and Iceland has closed some of its stores as pingdemic shortages kick in.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are off isolating after being pinged by the NHS COVID app, bringing businesses to their knees with staffing crises.

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Petrol stations are closing and supermarkets have begged customers not to clear out aisles after alarming photos showed empty shelves as supply chains are disrupted.

Some businesses are closing temporarily while others are reducing operating hours to cater for the reduced staff.

BP said it had closed several sites temporarily because of fuel shortages caused by a lack of lorry drivers and the closure of a fuel distribution terminal as too many staff self-isolate – although it has now reopened.

The fuel retailer said just a handful are being closed each day and the problems are sorted out within 24 hours.

But this also means that drivers should be aware that different stations could close unexpectedly day to day.

In a statement, BP said: "Our supply chain has been impacted primarily by the industry-wide driver shortages across the UK.

"We are working hard with our haulier supplier to deliver fuel into sites and minimise any disruption to our customers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused," it added.

Meanwhile, Iceland has been forced to close several of its stores this week due to more than 1000 of its staff being told to self-isolate, amounting to around 4% of its workforce.

The supermarket's boss Richard Walker said the cost-cutting store was hiring 2,000 temp workers plug the "exponential rise in pinging". 

But he said dramatic pictures of bare shelves was not "widespread" – and it was the "Government who should be panicking" as the pingdemic rips.

Marks and Spencer also warned customers that if it sees staff shortages, it may have to change the opening hours of its stores.

Sainsbury's also said it was grappling with shortages and was scrambling to fix the issue.

Pub chain Wetherspoons also warned it had a couple of hundred staff off.

It has so far not had to close any sites but in a few cases, like the Golden Lion in Rochester, some have had to reduce operating hours.

Meanwhile, Greene King said it has had to close 33 pubs in the past week due to staff shortages while Young's last week said 350 of its staff were self isolating due to COVID rules.

Up to 25% of staff at some businesses in the food and drink industry are self-isolating after being pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app, according to Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation,

He told Sky News: "I think the situation is concerning and it's up and down the supply chain.

"It's not consistent across the country – there are some places where shops and factories are working perfectly normally and in other parts manufacturers are under extreme pressure to continue producing because they may have up to 25% of their staff off.

"This is partly as a result of structural labour shortages but increasingly the cause is pinging, and it's getting worse, there is no question about that."

Wright said the issue was posing a big problem to abattoirs, distribution and to service staff in the hospitality sector.

"As I say, these are not consistent in every part of the country, in every part of the supply chain, but where it's happening, it's bad."

But Environment Secretary George Eustice attempted to downplay concerns by insisting staff shortages were lower now compared to earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Eustice told MPs: "Over the past 18 months the key workers in our food supply chain have worked incredibly hard to keep the nation fed during the difficult context of the pandemic.

"The recent hot weather has increased demand for some items, like bottled water, and staff absences have increased but remain lower than seen earlier in the pandemic.

"We are working with colleagues across Government to support businesses in the food supply chain."

It comes as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng also admitted that he is "very concerned" about food shortages.

He also revealed that workers will find out today if they are exempt from self-isolating after being pinged.

In just one week, more than 600,000 Brits were told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 App, according to NHS figures. 

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