Several prefectures have issued orders to limit the purchase of gasoline.
Nearly 20% of service stations operate with difficulty in France, according to the Ministry of Energy Transition. This is the consequence of strikes carried out in several refineries of the TotalÉnergies group. Result: the queues are getting longer and the tension is mounting among motorists. The government and Emmanuel Macron ask the French not to panic. Despite these calls for calm, some did not resist making reservations. State services have noted a “increase» unusual fuel sales on the national territory.
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These acts prompted the government to ban the purchase and even the sale of fuel in jerrycans and drums. “Agnès Pannier Runacher asked all the prefects to take this measure when the situation requires it in their territory“, specifies the entourage of the Minister of Energy Transition, contacted by Le Figaro. This is the case in the resorts of Nord (59), Pas-de-Calais (62) and Somme (80). The three prefects call for “civility» and to a «civic behavior» «to ensure that everyone’s needs are met(see tweet below). The north of France is indeed one of the areas where service stations are most in difficulty. According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, 42% of service stations in Pas de Calais and 43% of those in the North faced shortages on at least one fuel on Friday. In total, in Hauts-de-France, 30% of service stations are in difficulty.
The Hauts-de-France and Nord prefecture has also published the list of professions which have priority for obtaining fuel.
To these three departments in the north of France are added, to date, the Vosges (88) and the Val-d’Oise (95) which prohibit the purchase and sale of fuel “in any container such as a jerrycan or drum» until Wednesday 12 October.
Ditto on the side of Vaucluse (84) where the ban will end on Tuesday October 11 included and especially where the fuel supply is limited. Only 30 liters are authorized per vehicle under 3.5 tonnes and 120 liters for those over 3.5 tonnes, in all stations in the department.
In Puy-de-Dôme (63), the prefecture issues a recommendation rather than a ban.
However, the prefectures that issued these orders did not specify whether unscrupulous motorists risked fines. We can assume that the culprits will be deprived of their jerrycan(s) if they are caught in the act.