Brits looking to get away on France holidays this half term have been warned about petrol shortages in the country.
Forecourts across France have been running dry, with more than a quarter having no supplies of at least one type of fuel.
It comes after strikes at French refineries have tightened supply and led to queuing at forecourts.
As of midday today, of the more than 11,100 fuel stations in France, 2,093 were completely out of fuel and 1,101 had run out of one type of fuel, according to the AA.
Have you encountered fuel shortages while in France? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
The shortages could cause major headaches for families heading south from the UK during the October half term.
Drivers are advised to fill up their fuel tanks before leaving the UK and consider using eco-driving techniques, such as moderating their speeds and leaving more room between them and the vehicle in front to reduce braking and accelerating.
They should remember that a full tank will likely give them 350 miles or more travel which will hopefully reduce the need to search and probably queue for fuel in France.
The disruption at the refineries comes as prices for petrol and diesel are surging, with Opec announcing a big cut in the amount of barrels released into the market last week.
“In this country, it is hoped that the fuel trade’s lag in passing on previous cost reductions to customers, supermarkets taking longer to pass on price increases than fuel company sites and, hopefully, a resolution of the French strikes will soon ease the pressure on UK road fuel costs,” Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesperson, said.
Heading to France via the ferry or Eurotunnel remains one of the most popular ways of getting away on holidays for Brits.
A normal passenger car can be booked onto either the shuttle or one of the passenger ferries from £200, providing a cheaper and more environmentally friendly means of transport than flying.
Pre-pandemic France was the second most popular country for British people to visit in the world.
Spain tops the list, with 18.13 million visitors from the UK in 2019 and France is second, with 10.35 million.
While new stats post lockdown have not been published, its unlikely that trip numbers to our Gallic neighbours have been too badly dented, now that entry restrictions have been dropped.
To view the status of different petrol stations across France, click here.
