What was claimed
A video shows motorists in the UK facing long queues at fuel stations.
Our verdict
False. This video was filmed in Seville in Spain.
What was claimed
A video shows motorists in the UK facing long queues at fuel stations.
Our verdict
False. This video was filmed in Seville in Spain.
A video circulating on social media with claims about long queues for fuel in the UK was actually filmed in Seville in Spain.
Although there have been some reports of queues at petrol stations in the UK in recent weeks, this footage—shared in posts published on 9 and 10 March—was actually filmed at a Costco garage in Spain, reportedly on 2 March.
Fuel prices have risen globally amid the US-Israel war with Iran, and on Monday the Prime Minister was reportedly due to chair an emergency meeting to deal with cost of living pressures caused by the war.
But we’ve not seen any evidence to suggest that right now the UK “could run out of petrol within two days”, as claimed in some captions circulating alongside the video.
Join 73,000 newsletter subscribers who trust us to check the facts
Sign up to get weekly updates on politics, immigration, health and more.
Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.
Trade association Fuel Industry UK said in a statement posted on 16 March (six days after the social media posts) that the “UK situation remains stable with suppliers working hard to deliver normal levels of supply through a mix of UK refinery production and imported fuels”. And on Monday (23 March) the Petrol Retailers Association said “there is no suggestion of shortages” and “supplies are stable”, though it also warned pump prices may continue to rise.
Before sharing content which you see on social media, it’s important to consider whether it comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source—our toolkit contains guides to help you do this.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because this video was filmed in Seville, Spain, not the UK.
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.
Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.