LOCAL MP URGES UK TRANSPORT SECRETARY TO ACT ON FUEL SUPPLIES
Friday 17 December 2010
Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has contacted UK Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond to urge a further relaxation of the restrictions placed on driver hours to enable essential fuel supplies to get through.
The SNP MP has acted after being contacted by constituents and fuel suppliers who are experiencing shortages of fuel due to the extreme weather conditions.
Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:
“In rural Aberdeenshire and Banffshire, which have once again been hit with severe weather conditions, supplies are simply not reaching the people who most urgently need them. Suppliers report that the weather conditions of recent weeks have created a backlog of orders, with the extended cold snap creating unprecedented demand.
“Suppliers are telling me that journeys are at present taking 3-4 hours longer than normal to complete, and that they are doing their best, but cannot reach some rural areas quickly enough in these conditions.
“I have therefore contacted the UK Transport Secretary, who has responsibility for the regulations which cover lorry drivers, to urge that a further relaxation of the restrictions on working hours be allowed in order to cope with these pressing circumstances.”
