COTSWOLDS MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has urged motorists to stop panic buying fuel.

Sir Clifton-Brown said there is plenty of fuel in refineries and in storage, but the spike in demand has caused temporary shortages at petrol stations.

He said: "It is important to stress that there is plenty of fuel in the refineries and in storage across the country, but there has been a significant spike in demand which has caused temporary shortages at petrol stations.

"I would urge people not to panic-buy fuel, or to take more than they need.

"There is a wider issue in the HGV sector and measures are being introduced to tackle the shortage.

"I welcome the Government's action to invest £10 million into skills courses to train 3,000 HGV drivers and a further 1,000 locally.

"They are also making available 5,000 visas for HGV drivers for a three-month period, to provide short-term relief for the haulage industry.

"This labour shortage is an issue we are seeing in other industries and I have been calling on the Government to make more short-term visas available for agricultural and hospitality workers as well."