Coastal MP Therese Coffey has called on Felixstowe bosses to make HGV driving jobs more attractive in response to being asked to put pressure on the government to do more to ease the supply crisis.

Business leaders in Suffolk called on the Department for Works and Pensions minister to put pressure on her government to increase the number of visas issued to HGV drivers from the EU.

Fuel shortages, sparked by panic buying after the Road Haulage Society warned of driver shortages, which led to BP garages not receiving supplies, along with supermarkets shelves not being filled with goods, have been a result in the lack of HGV drivers.

Despite the shortage affecting only BP petrol stations initially, the fear of missing out led to long queues elsewhere, including the petrol stations in Felixstowe and arterial roads to the port.

Therese Coffey MP said: "While Covid impacted the HGV testing regime, the number of tests being undertaken per week is higher than pre Covid.

"At the same time, the number of drivers choosing to leave the industry every year is still high. As well as the government doing what it can, it's also important that employers work with employees to make HGV driving an attractive job."

Many Felixstowe logistics firms have spoken of a lack of trained drivers, with Brexit, early retirements, and the lack of training due to the pandemic being blamed.

A spokesman from the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, representing businesses, said: "This appears to be a Government curiously out-of-touch at the moment not only with the realities of the needs of our members and the wider Suffolk business community, but with the realities of how people lead their lives.

"The three-month temporary visas being offered to EU HGV drivers falls well short of our calls for a year-long extension, in order for the haulage sector - working with Government - to have a plan in place to encourage, develop and train the necessary home-grown drivers.

"We are also worried that this is a rather naïve baby step, as it is predicated upon significant numbers of EU drivers wishing to switch from their current contracts and family commitments to come over to the UK for such a short period of time.

"We are urging Suffolk's MPs and council leaders to use their influence in Government to both significantly expand the number of visas issued within this scheme and convene a summit that brings business and ministers together to find both immediate and longer-term solutions to the many challenges facing firms throughout the UK.

"Without further action, we now face the very real prospect of serious scarring to the Suffolk economy, stifled growth as well as another less than happy Christmas for many local businesses and their customers in the county and beyond."

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