Asda warns of ‘temporary shortages’ at some petrol pumps amid Iran war

Comments from boss Allan Leighton come as squeeze on supplies drives average UK petrol price above 150p a litre The boss of Asda has warned of “temporary shortages’” at petrol pumps as supplies are squeezed by the conflict in the Middle East, which has driven up average UK petrol prices to above 150p a litre. Allan Leighton, the executive chair of the supermarket chain, which is the UK’s second largest fuel retailer, said it had been experiencing high demand from drivers as fuel prices have jumped about over the past four weeks since the war started. “Our fuel volumes are up quite significantly and clearly demand has been outstripping supply. Supply is tight and we are all trying hard on that,” he said. Leighton stressed that the temporary shortages had only affected “the odd pump” at a small number of Asda’s petrol forecourts if customers arrived when the retailer was waiting for a fuel delivery. “We can expect to see that continue,” he said. “The spikiness at the moment makes this tricky for us, as spikes can lead to temporary shortages. These are temporary and are addressed very quickly.” Petrol and diesel prices have climbed significantly since the US