PETROL stations in Cumbria have placed a £30 spending cap on their fuel amid a fuel shortage across the country.

Euro Garages at Lillyhall near Workington announced the cap on their Facebook page over the weekend.

It means that all vehicles bar emergency transport will only be allowed to top their engines up by £30.

This comes in response to the large queues at petrol stations that have been seen over the past week.

The company owns 389 petrol stations across the county, including stations across Carlisle, Penrith and Workington.

Sainsbury’s On The Go Lillyhall EG released a statement on their Facebook page, saying: “To ensure that as many of our customers have access to vehicular fuel, we are restricting transactions to a maximum of £30 per customer on all of our grades. This is a company decision and our colleagues have been asked to stop the pump if they exceed this amount.

“We hope to return to normal service as soon as possible.

“Please do not take it out on the staff at any garage they have been told to impose this, it is not their decision that this has been made, they re just following orders to keep their jobs.”

There were also reports that fuel stations in Keswick ran out of diesel yesterday as motorists panic-bought fuel amid the crisis.

The National Fire Chiefs council have also urged the public not to buy or store fuel to reduce the risk of injury.

In a statement they said: “Storing fuel in a car, the workplace or at home can create a fire hazard due to its highly flammable and combustible nature. This can cause a serious risk of injury, loss of life and damage to not only people’s properties but to others in the vicinity.

“Stockpiling could also put unnecessary pressure on fire and rescue services across the country if there is an increase in fuel related fires.”

The council also warned that the law states people can only store up to 30 litres of petrol in their homes legally, without having to inform the local Petroleum Enforcement Authority (PEA).