THE CEO of a Poole-based wholesaler has urged people to stop stockpiling petrol after he sells out of jerry cans in record time.

Karl Baxter, CEO of Wholesale Clearance UK, has stated that he has no further plans to source and supply jerry cans to the public in a bid to discourage the panic buying.

He said: “Since it was announced that there is a shortage of lorry drivers available to deliver fuel to petrol stations in the UK, people have been stockpiling fuel all across the country.

“But as drivers nationwide dashed out to fill their cars up, panicking that they wouldn’t be able to access petrol to travel - a fuel crisis was inevitable.

“Local stations in particular have experienced fuel shortages due to the panic buying, with people spotted filling up jerry cans. Before the crisis, our stock of jerry cans sold at a steady pace, but over the weekend, we sold out in record time.

He added: “On Friday, I had 5,000 jerry cans being sold for £3.50 each which we sold in lots of 12 – we’re now completely sold out. Bear in mind, these items had been listed for months without much interest.”

According to the Petrol Enforcement Authority (PEA), you can store up to 30 litres of petrol at home or non-workplace premises without informing them.

Any more than this, it is a legal requirement to notify the PEA in writing, giving your name and address of storage location.

The PEA says you can store petrol in:

• A suitable portable metal or plastic containers

• One demountable fuel tank

• A combination of the above as long as no more than 30 litres is kept

Mr Baxter added: “It’s hard to believe the pace at which people are buying. The issue now is, will there be any petrol left to deliver the items to the customers? Plus, the morality question of whether the purchases are driving the shortage further?

“While people go into panic mode, shortages are being created, and despite many petrol stations putting a cap on people purchasing petrol, who’s to say they can’t go and fill up elsewhere after one purchase?

“Even if we wanted to, we would not be able to source further supply of jerry cans until at least three months. It is likely that this could be creating a jerry can shortage, too.

“After selling out, we currently have no further plans to source and supply jerry cans until the situation regarding petrol has returned to normal to discourage panic buying."