The government was under growing pressure today to designate special fuel stations for key health workers – after most garages ran dry yesterday.

One county council, Surrey, says it may declare an emergency and take its own steps to provide dedicated services for key workers. It came as reports grew of doctors and other staff being unable to get to work because of not being able to obtain fuel. Roads were jammed around many of the UK’s petrol stations as drivers tried to queue for diminishing supplies.

The British Medical Association and the NHS Providers, together with the Royal College of Nursing, called for urgent steps to keep services moving. EveryDoctor reported that two consultants in Bedford had been unable to get to work because of not having transport. A Bedfordshire doctor told the group: “Two consultants in our department are out and can’t get to work. Two others on reserve. All four petrol stations within four miles of our hospital are closed with no fuel.”

Councillor Tim Oliver, leader of Surrey County Council, said: “We have been experiencing the same problems as everyone else so we are deciding whether or not to declare a major incident which would give the forum powers to prioritise key workers. We have got access to fuel supplies which we can designate for priority workers so social workers can be given a card which enables them to access those supplies.”

A joint statement from ten fuel companies said: “There is plenty of fuel at UK refineries and terminals, and as an industry we are working closely with the Government to help ensure fuel is available to be delivered to stations across the country. As many cars are now holding more fuel than usual, we expect that demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, easing pressures on fuel station forecourts. We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would.”