UPDATE: Asda petrol station is now closed (15:00 ) and Portway has only one pump with petrol available.

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The closest Esso station to Frome was still operating normally today (September 24) with no signs of people panic buying.

The nearest Esso forecourt is at Nunney Catch roundabout and at just 11 am today it was all systems go with no signs of any shortage in supply or of drivers panic buying.

The same situation was at the most central petrol station, the Texaco in Frome, where again it was service as normal at 11am.

However later in the day social media was full of photos of the queues leading into Sainsbury's petrol forecourt in Wessex Fields, which is often the cheapest petrol in town.

And updated: At just after 2pm the Texaco on the Portway said it was out of diesel but it would have a delivery later on.

It comes as the government told motorists to carry on buying petrol as normal, despite supply problems that have closed some stations.

What has been called a "handful" of BP stations, and a small number of Esso-owned Tesco Alliance stations, were closed on Thursday because of a lack of delivery drivers.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said refineries had "plenty of petrol".

It is estimated that the UK is short of about 100,000 HGV drivers - with gaps made worse by the pandemic and Brexit.