
No 10 said it is “hard to put a specific date” on when fuel supplies would return to normal - but insisted the situation was improving.
“We’ve seen demand return back towards normal levels,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said on Monday.
It came as army tanker drivers started delivering fuel to petrol stations in a bid to ease shortages as Operation Escalin got underway.
The troops were set to be concentrated in London and the Southeast, where the worst fuel shortages remained.
Petrol stations have run dry and long queues have formed at forecourts as the UK grappled with the fuel crisis caused by a shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and panic buying.