UK petrol retailers say recovery from fuel crisis too slow

LONDON (Reuters) - The recovery from fuel shortages at gas stations in England is happening too slowly, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said on Thursday, after a shortage of lorry drivers and panic buying left many pumps dry in London and the southeast.

A PRA survey found that 12% of filling stations in London and the southeast were still dry, while 17% had just one grade of fuel. In the same area, 71% of filling stations had both grades, compared to 90% outside London and the southeast.

"The recovery is simply not happening quickly enough. We are into our 15th day of the crisis," PRA Chairman Brian Madderson said. "There needs to be an independent inquiry into the crisis, so that motorists are protected from such acute fuel shortages in the future."

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden)