PETROL shortages have hit Bolton while forecourts all across the country have been impacted by a shortage of lorry diver.

This comes after BP confirmed on Thursday that "a handful" of its petrol stations had been forced to close due to lack of available fuel while a number of Tesco stations have also been affected.

In Bolton residents have reported shortages at several stations.

One driver said: "I went the other night to get petrol and they didn't have any at all so I had to drive at least a mile or two to get petrol.

"At the time I didn't think it was an issue but now I see it's affecting the whole country."

As well as shortages, people have been affected by long waits at forecourts.

Another resident said: "Petrol stations are causing massive queues there's loads of petrol but no HGV drivers to deliver it.

"It's been on television and that's why there's queues and now I need to fill up my tank."

Meanwhile, transport secretary Grant Shapps MP moved to reassure motorists that they should "carry on as normal."

Speaking to Sky News he said: "As of last night, five petrol stations on the BP network out of 12 or 13 hundred were affected.

"I’m meeting this morning with Tesco and I’m sure they’ll give me the update for themselves.

"None of the other retailers said they had any closures.”

He added: "The others, Asda, Morrisons and other supermarkets, are saying they have no problems, as have other petrol companies."

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show transport secretary then denied Brexit was the culprit in the UK’s recent shortage of lorry drivers

Mr Shapps said: "Not only are there very large and even larger shortages in other EU countries like Poland and Germany, which clearly can’t be to do with Brexit, but actually because of Brexit I’ve been able to change the law and alter the way our driving tests operate in a way I could not have done if we were still part of the EU.

"So, Brexit actually has provided part of the solution of giving more slots available for HGV heavy goods vehicle tests and there are a lot more, twice as many, tests available now than before the pandemic, a large proportion of those we’ve only been able to do because we are no longer in the EU."