MAP: Where in France have fuel limits been imposed and in what way?
We look at the departments where emergency services staff are being prioritised, or filling up jerry cans is temporarily banned
We look at the French departments where petrol stations are limiting the amount customers can buy
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Several French departments have imposed limits on the amount of fuel people can buy at one time, as up to one in three petrol stations across the country experience shortages linked to strikes at TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil refineries.
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The fuel purchase limits have been imposed by prefectures to prevent people from stocking up on petrol or diesel and aggravating the problem.
Hauts-de-France is particularly affected, with 54.8% of petrol stations reporting problems, followed by 44.9% of stations in Ile-de-France, the ecological transition ministry reports.
It is thought that the northern departments are impacted more due to their proximity to other European countries, with drivers from there preferring to buy fuel in France as it is cheaper.
This is because the French government is currently offering a 30-cent-per-litre discount on fuel and many companies offer extra discounts on top of that, including TotalEnergies, which adds an extra 20-cent-per-litre reduction.
We look at where restrictions have been introduced and what they involve.
In most departments concerned, priority access is being offered to the emergency services, medical and healthcare professionals.
In Aisne, it is also forbidden to fill up jerry cans and other containers until October 14.
In Somme, Nord and Pas-de-Calais, drivers are banned from filling up jerry cans or similar until midnight tonight (October 10-11).
Oise’s prefecture has restricted the use of jerry cans for collecting extra supplies until October 13, while in Val d’Oise and Vosges, the order lasts until October 12.
Vaucluse’s prefecture has limited the sale and purchase of fuel to a maximum of 30 litres for non-professional drivers and 120 litres for professional drivers of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, reports France Bleu Vaucluse.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, Yvelines and Eure-et-Loir, drivers will not be allowed to fill up jerry cans until further notice.
This information is correct as of the morning of October 10.
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