With panic buying and queues at petrol stations across the UK, a car insurance expert has issued tips on how to get the extra mile out of your tank.

Petrol stations in and around Salisbury are experiencing a shortage of both petrol and diesel, as a shortage of HGV drivers has affected petrol stations nationally.

Environment Secretary George Eustice blamed panic-buying for the shortage, saying: "The only reason we don’t have petrol on the forecourts is that people are buying petrol they don’t need.”

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Tesco petrol station, Southampton Road, this morning, September 28

Tesco petrol station, Southampton Road, this morning, September 28

Car Insurance Expert at Confused.com Alex Kindred said: “Queues at petrol stations are growing, so if you have fuel but you want to try to stay away from the garage, there are ways you can get that extra mile out of your tank. These include:

  • Going easy on the accelerator - Keep your driving smooth and use the highest, safe gear possible to use less fuel. What’s more, when you approach traffic lights, ease off the accelerator early if the lights are red. Why hurry up just to wait?
  • Avoid idling - Running your engine at idle consumes roughly half a gallon to about a gallon of fuel every hour, not to mention the carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere. Modern cars are more fuel efficient, so you’ll burn less fuel if you just turn off your engine than restarting when you need to move again.
  • Inflate tyres to the correct pressure - The surface area that’s in contact with the road increases when a tyre is under-inflated. The more surface area in contact with the road, the more drag on the wheel.”

“For more information on how you can make your tank go the extra mile before you next have to fill-up, our fuel-saving tips offers plenty of ways to help improve your fuel economy.”

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