British gas stations are still seeing unprecedented demand with more than a quarter of pumps still dry as the fuel crisis cut road traffic volumes to the lowest level since the Covid-19 lockdowns ended two months ago.

In a chaotic week where fights broke out at filling stations and people filled up old water bottles with petrol, British ministers have repeatedly said the crisis is easing, though they ordered soldiers on Wednesday to start driving fuel tankers.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents 65 per cent of Britain’s 8,380 forecourts, said members reported on Thursday that 27 per cent of pumps were dry, 21 per cent had just one fuel type in stock and 52 per cent had enough petrol and diesel.

“This is running out quicker than usual due to unprecedented demand,” said PRA executive director Gordon Balmer.

“We are also continuing to hear of further instances of forecourt staff experiencing a high level of both verbal and physical abuse which is completely unacceptable.”

Reuters reporters visited 10 petrol stations in London and surrounding areas on Thursday. Three were open. A line of dozens of drivers snaked back from one of the open stations with staff attempting to direct the queue.

Transport ministry data indicated that motor traffic had decreased by 6 percentage points on Monday from the previous week to the lowest volume on a non-holiday Monday since July 12. England ended Covid restrictions on July 19.

Car and light commercial vehicle traffic fell the most, the data showed, with heavy goods vehicle traffic down by 3 percentage points. The disruption, caused mainly by an acute shortage of truck drivers, and the spike in prices it is expected to fuel, threaten to undermine Britain’s economic growth, projected at 7 per cent this year.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday showed the economy grew by more than previously thought in the April-June period before what looked like a sharp slowdown more recently as post-lockdown bottlenecks, including the shortage of truck drivers, mount.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents independent retailers who account for about two-thirds of all the 8,380 UK filling stations, said on Wednesday that 27 per cent of members reported being out of fuel.

The fuel station crisis has provoked scorn in some European capitals, with senior politicians suggesting Britain’s trucker shortage was a clear consequence of its 2016 referendum decision to leave the EU.